In a few short weeks, my youngest son will marry a darling girl that he has been friends with since kindergarten. They will have known each other for more than a quarter century prior to their marriage. It’s fun to look at their kindergarten class photo and see their cute smiling faces, totally unaware of what the future would hold. Their group of friends has stayed tight over the years, even though they ventured off to different colleges and job opportunities. Luckily, digital communication and social media have made it possible to stay connected. This generation doesn’t know how lucky they are not to have to rely on snail mail and long distance landlines. Some of their kindergarten classmates have remained their best friends to this day and are in their wedding party.
My son and his fiancé were “just friends” during elementary school, middle school, and high school. They were in the same social circle but never dated. He was a football player. She was a cheerleader. They enjoyed a casual friendship and shared lots of fun childhood memories. But they traveled far afield and attended colleges situated across the country from each other. They briefly reconnected when they both interned at the same company during college. I could see the spark of interest in my son’s eyes and hear it in his voice. However, their post-graduation jobs were on opposite coasts.
I never thought I’d be grateful for the pandemic for anything. But it brought my future daughter-in-law back home to San Diego, so there was one good side effect. They reconnected once again, and friendship turned into romance. He proposed on bended knee on the beach in Coronado. Her big sister set up a sweet proposal site and photographed the event. My son’s biggest fear was dropping the diamond ring in the sand. Now, at long last, their wedding is drawing nigh. We love his fiancé and can’t wait to welcome her into the fold.
