Real Men Cry

I remember the day she was born. She was our first child and she was already two weeks overdue. It seemed like she would never come. Many hours of labor later, the doctor said that they needed to do an emergency c-section. A hundred scary thoughts went through our minds. But an hour later after a successful c-section, I held my healthy little girl in my arms.

Yes, I cried. Real men cry when they hold one of their children for the first time. The nurse wrote, "Good father-daughter bonding" on her chart. And I cried when she went off to kindergarten. And I cried when she was baptized. I still have the picture of that moment with my special treasures. And I cried when she graduated from high school. And I cried from South Carolina all the way to Pennsylvania when I dropped her off at college. And I cried two weeks ago when she graduated from college. I cried yesterday when I took a long walk and thought about how much I love her. And yes, I am even crying now as I write this post.

Tomorrow, she will be married. And I am sure I will cry. But that is okay because real men cry at special moments in the lives of their children. Weddings are one of the most special moments of all. So if you are going to be at the wedding tomorrow, bring a box of tissues.