Happy 18th Anniversary to us

Eighteen years? Are you serious?

It is true. Eighteen years ago, at high noon -- although I think that's the time reserved for meetings at the O.K. Corral -- my husband and I got married, totally innocent of any idea of what marriage is all about. Which is like most first-time-marrieds in their twenties, I suppose. We got initiated into Life's Hard Club our very first year, with job changes and some personal crises, but we hung on. Two months before our second anniversary, Meelyn was born. Twenty-six months after that, Aisling came along. And even though times have been hard since then, I can't think of any other husband and father (or any daughters) who could have done it better.

Since Father's Day is coming up in a couple of weeks, I thought it would be nice to post this beautiful video montage of scenes from Father of the Bride, which was the summer blockbuster in 1991, the year my husband and I were married. The music is John Mayer's song "Daughters" and contains the following lines about a dad's relationship with his little girl that I find particularly moving as the cycle of life continues in my own family.

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Fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers and turn into mothers
So mothers be good to your daughters, too

On behalf of every man
looking out for every girl, remember
You are the guide and the weight of her world

So fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers be good to your daughters, too

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It's a truly lovely song and a touching video of a little girl growing up in front of her father's eyes, from jump ropes to braces, from a driver's license to a marriage license; from a graduation gown to a wedding gown...to a hospital gown, as she births her first baby.