Aw. It Was Awesome

It was the best bridal shower ever. There were: pretty little sandwiches and stuffed grape leaves and deviled eggs and chicken salad and two kinds of punch (one a blackberry mojito and one a Methodist Lady with sherbet), hummingbird cake and tulips and roses and it was sunny and there were babies and kids catching frogs and old friends and hugs GALORE!

After we ate, Lily and May and I were somewhat stricken because we hadn't planned any games so what were we going to do? Here's what we did- we all sat around in a big circle around the tables outside in the beautiful gold-sun afternoon and every one of us gave Jessie our best advice about marriage and I wrote it all down for her. There was Pat who has been married for fifty years ("Be aware that you're going to be in at least six to eight different marriages in your lifetime with the same man") to girls who had never been married but who had something wise and succinct to say anyway, to women who have been married more than once and you know damn well those ladies (uh, I'm one of them) gave good advice. It was awesome. It was far better than any game. And it was sweet and it was funny and we all laughed and we all nodded our heads and we all learned something and we all had something to think about.

Damn.

And then there were presents. Bowls and bowls. There seemed to be a bowl theme. And an herb garden in a pot and a book about sex and a handmade-with-love-from-Lis ribbon flower to go in Jessie's hair. Such thoughtful and loving gifts. Lily gave Jessie a wedding-emergency box with everything from a tiny bottle of tequila to safety pins in it. Molly gave Jessie a beautiful box of handmade soy wax candles to burn at different times in her marriage with a beautiful poem to go with them. And beer. For anytime. Because beer is great.

Jessie ended up wearing a dress of mine that's older than she is. She looked beautiful, of course. May's worn that dress many times too. That dress is a keeper. It's made of corduroy so I imagine it will outlast me, at least.

Here's a funny thing- the electricity went off right before everyone got here. But it was such a bright sunny afternoon that no one even noticed until we pointed it out. Okay, we didn't get to cook the frozen baby quiches and spanakopita but they were honestly not needed and that might be what Mr. Moon and I are eating for supper tonight. The power came back on right when I was ready to make coffee before everyone left.
It was, in some way, as perfect as the rest of the day.

I honestly can't imagine a better party. And when Lizzie left I cried and apologized over and over for being such a negative old whiny bitch and I thanked her from the bottom of my heart for everything that she did.

It does indeed take a village to raise a child and when that child is raised, it's a beautiful thing to have the village to attend to her and send her off into marriage with good advice and loving gifts.

Jessie's going to be all right. I have no doubt about that. My baby is going to be a wife and it is a testament to her family and to the friends who were here today that she wants to make a family of her own.

I'm content. The girl has been raised up good and she's picked the right man to marry. Which was my advice- to pick the right person to marry. That's 99% of it right there. And Vergil? He's the right man.

Amen and hallelujah.

Love...Ms. Moon