With this ring...

For those of you who know my family, I have some fantastic news.

Stephanie and I just returned from Portland, Oregon where, this past weekend, my mother, Charey, was married. Her husband, Harold Neal, a construction foreman, has known her since they were children and even saw her off on more than one occasion as my grandparents embarked for the African mission field.

They could not be more different. She is vivacious and outgoing; he, reserved and quiet. She laughs often and boisterously; he does not even crack a smile at his own, quite funny, jokes. She is all dynamism and energy; he is serenity and calm. She risks a ticket every time she slides behind the wheel; he frequently drives below the speed limit.

They are perfect for one another.

It is odd to see your mother so in love when you cannot really remember anything other than her singleness. It is weird to hear her say, "honey" or "sweetheart" and to answer "yes?" simultaneously alongside a man you are only beginning to know. It is disconcerting to see your mother passionately kiss when, for decades, her lips have only been used on your cheeks.

And it is wonderful, too.

Though planned as a simple ceremony, the wedding, in typical mom fashion, was a massive, elaborate and very pink affair with well over 400 people in attendance. Stephanie and I fled to the coast afterwards and gorged ourselves on crab-meat to recover. The happy couple is now honeymooning in Bend, Oregon.

Welcome to the family, Harold. (And you too, my new sisters!)

Thought you all might like to know.

-- A Proud Son