I danced at his wedding.
Every good mother will tell you there is something special about her firstborn. And every good son will tell you that the relationship with his Mom has a sacred space in his heart.
Jordan Chiero, my firstborn, got married this weekend.
We danced at his wedding. Our dance was not one shared in a viral video of Mom and Son doing the KiKi, Harlem Shake, and Gangnam Style - I’m not that kind of Mom. Our dance was to Elton John's "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" which allowed me to say to this young man that he is everything I ever wanted him to be. That he thrived and matured in spite of the 2+2 of parenting books equalling 5 in real life. That he soared in spite of getting the Mom with training wheels (and what a ride it has been!)
I looked in his eyes and said, of course, I love you. But more importantly, I thanked him for loving me. I told him that he turned out better than I deserve. Like the rolls I burn every Thanksgiving because I get distracted by a text. Or email. Or something I annually regret I found more important at the moment than a two-minute timer.
The man he is - he achieved in spite of whole periods of time when my work took precedence and, like the rolls, I brushed the black stuff off his life and told myself he was just fine. And he is. Because of God’s grace and his humor, which filled in the gaps.
Essential ingredients, by the way, for the start of a young marriage.
