THE TOAST

I haven't really been to that many weddings

 where I paid attention to the toasts

but they were very special at this reception

those words spoken by the Maid of Honor and Best Man

Maybe because the Maid of Honor was also our daughter it seemed so moving

except that the Best Man's was also and I'd never met him

I realize this whole speech thing is not new

perhaps I just listened closer this time

The Best Man praised my new son and they were good words to hear

he spoke quite eloquently of 

his loyalty, his goodness, his honesty and his kindness

his depth

things a mother wishes for her daughter to have in her man

but he also included a statement that I loved

and that was because Mattie had chosen Coach Been, in his mind

it cemented his view of him...so a compliment to both at the same time

two good kids who found each other

Grace spoke of Columbus's voyage, treasures, jewels, crossing the ocean

 saving that treasure for the mainland

 and her moral compass

and how she has made us all better by knowing her

and then she ended with her favorite poem

One ship sails East,

And another West,

By the self-same winds that blow,

'Tis the set of the sails

And not the gales,

That tells the way we go.

Like the winds of the sea

Are the waves of time,

As we journey along through life,

'Tis the set of the soul,

That determines the goal,

And not the calm or the strife.


Ella Wheeler Wilcox

They are most certainly a fine set of sails on just one ship