5th February 2014
My beautiful daughter Nicola got me thinking…….I am constantly reminded of how we mark special moments in time and I believe that really this is what makes us humans and connected to each other- celebrating these milestones is so important.
Some of these include getting married, having children, watching children developing from starting school through to their teenage years and then the various roles we can adopt like being a wife/husband, mum/dad or even grandparents are all moments in time that deserve a celebration-not to mention all our birthdays!
I think we love to celebrate and bask in the happiness of another person’s milestones or achievements. I think we have to do this-it’s basic to who we are.
All events have emotions attached. I have experienced this week what I would consider a big milestone in my life- my youngest child, Nicola, moving from home and taking the plunge into starting her tertiary education and living in a city. I am experiencing those mixed emotions as a mother of worry, excitement, happiness and being so proud but I acknowledge it is a big change for us both .My role as a carer and nurturer has now changed and her role as a daughter dependant on her parents has changed.
I cannot help but think that these feelings are all around a wedding and from many different perspectives.
I have differing amounts of contact with the relatives attached to a couple, and I can see that the changes happening to them with their child making this milestone of marriage are huge!
There is no better feedback for me than when a parent approaches me and says they are really happy with how their child’s ceremony went. I often wonder how I will feel in that position. It does drive me to make everything just right. I often look around during the ceremony and I can see their delight and their emotions, sometimes quite raw and I am touched by that honest expression of love. What a special milestone this is.
So with January already gone, I am looking forward to being a special part of other people’s milestones and of course celebrations!