I spent the weekend in South Carolina for my cousin Ryan’s wedding. The women of SC are beautiful and gracious and I see why they’re called southern belles.
The weather? Little too hot and humid for me, though to be fair, it’s unseasonably hot and humid in Michigan right now too.
I enjoyed a lot of time with my cousin Rani (yay!) and a little time with some of my other cousins. Of all the cousins, I fall right in the middle of the age range. There are seven who are older than me, and six who are younger than me. As a kid, it used to bother me that I was the cut-off person for the kids’ table. Seeing them as adults makes me glad I was at the kids’ table.
I’m overwhelmed with pride and love for all of them. It was especially fun to see the boys now as men. I mean, they’ve been adults for years now, but I got a different perspective this weekend. I felt very secure knowing these strong and confident men, all 9+ years younger than me, were looking out for my well-being. It was also fun to see the girls throwing themselves at these same handsome and charismatic cousins.
My Aunt Sharon, mother of the groom, put together some photo albums of the extended family. It was a lot of fun seeing pictures of my dad as a young man.
As out-of-town guests, we were invited to the rehearsal dinner. It was the best Chinese food ever. My Aunt Sharon seated my dad and my Uncle Gordon at the heads of the Lee table. I was touched to learn my dad had been seated in a place of honor that years ago would have been occupied by my late Great Grandmother.
The wedding was lovely, but it’s the memories of spending time with my family that will stick with me the most.
