The Wedding Shower

Regular readers of this blog know that our oldest son Josh is marrying Leah Thayer in July. Today there was a wedding shower for some Chicago-area friends at a home in Oak Park. I am no expert on these things, since I can only remember attending one or two showers in my life, and never for the whole time. Leah’s parents (George and Blanche) drove from Vermont for the festivities. Last night I met them for the first time (Marlene met them on her trip to Vermont several weeks ago), and we hit it off immediately. They are wonderful people. Blanche has been reading this blog for some time so that made her, in my book, a member of the inner circle. George has a wry sense of humor that kept us all laughing during the evening. At some point I was asked if I planned to come to the shower today. I replied that I would rather have gall bladder surgery than go to a wedding shower. George said that he was going to be busy today replacing a muffler on an airplane. I thought that was a more creative excuse than mine.
Marlene and Dawn Olson spent hours yesterday with Mari Burda getting ready for the shower. Soo Ai Kudo and Pam Compasio also helped out. This morning Marlene and Dawn went early to make final preparations. Josh decided to go to the shower with Leah. He’s a braver man than I am. I was instructed to come no earlier than 1 PM, but then I was told to come at 2 PM or 2:15 PM when the presents were all opened. When I arrived, I saw Josh and Leah in the living room surrounded by maybe 35 women, in a room filled with presents. Everyone was talking and chatting about this gift and that gift and how lovely everything was. Josh seemed to be enjoying all of it. He’s not only a braver man, he’s a better man than I am.
People stayed to talk for almost another hour. I had fun helping Josh and Leah load their gifts into his car. They got some very nice things, but come to think of it, I didn’t stop to examine what I was picking up. Everyone was smiling throughout, and there were hugs galore. It’s a rite of passage, this wedding shower business, a way of affirming a young couple as they set out on their new life together. Someone commented that Josh and Leah look like they belong together. Leah is naturally beautiful, and today she was radiant. Josh had a grin on his face the whole time, which made me very happy. The big event happens eleven weeks from today.