These past few months have been a whirlwind of emotions. I've been stressed because of work deadlines and wedding preparations. But this past Friday, it was all worth it. My daughter was the most beautiful bride and I was a very proud mother. Words can't express the joy I felt watching her say those vows of commitment and listening while Dan's aunt who performed the ceremony talked about how she reminds me so much of my mother. She is and always will be the joy of my life. I wish my Mom could have been there...but she was in spirit, smiling from heaven and rejoicing that Jillian has found her soul mate.
There is no greater joy than to share this day with your daughter and to know that you were a part of making that day special for her. I will never forget the past few days we both shared together and the memories will last forever.
I'm sitting here in my comfy chair daydreaming. I don't do that often. But this morning I'm having one of those deep-in-thought moments. And my eye is drawn to my pin collection. It's a rather odd sort of hobby. I have no idea when I started collecting them. But about 2 years ago I decided to put them in a display case so I could admire them more easily. When I built the case I had no idea how many I had collected over the years until I started placing them in the frame.
It's not so much the pins that give me joy. It's the memories attached to them. There's one in there from Atlantic City that I got when I made a trip there with two friends after seeing Barry Manilow in Philadelphia. There's a pin of the Eiffel Tower that I picked up when I was in Paris visiting my daughter. I have a pin commemorating my one perfect family moment at WaltDisneyworld before my son left for the Marines. My son brought me one from Bavaria when he was there in the military. I have a pin I purchased when my daughter and I went to my first Red Sox game at Fenway Park. And one I got when my son and I saw the Rangers play the Astros in Houston. I have a pin that I purchased when I flew to London to celebrate my daughter's 21st birthday at the Ritz Carlton. All my Las Vegas pins are in there as well, commemorating some of the best times of my life. And there is a corner that displays my father's Gideon, Lions Club, and Chiropractor pins.
These pins hold my memories and they remind me that it's not about what you accumulate over your life that matters. It's about the people that you love and how you spend those moments that truly count.
These pins represent my treasured moments,
Walden Fan
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