ripe

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The time has almost come. One week from tomorrow our first child will be married.

The second she was born 28 years ago, her eyes shone big, round and clear. They say newborn eyes can't focus well, but whatever the birthing room's morning light fell upon, she seemed to absorb and approve of through those little portholes of hers. She has always been ready to take in as much of the world as she can fit.

Before she learned to walk, she learned to run. We never used a leash, but maybe that would have preserved a year or two of our lives.

At age 6, shortly after we moved to Istanbul, she corrected my halting Turkish when I misunderstood our door woman - stating sweetly, "No, mommy, she asked if you wanted bread delivered today."

When we returned to the U.S., she fell in love with Elijah Wood and decided to become a marine biologist after seeing "Flipper," maybe hoping that would get her closer to him.

For a while she preferred her hair pink or blue to its natural medium brown. She wore army boots with skirts. I'm ashamed to say I was embarrassed when people stared at her extravagantly in our conservative town. That embarrassment was so much more about me than her. But I did let her have pink hair.

She dove into mosh pits. She totalled a car. She changed majors at community college until she found Design. She exploded beauty out her fingertips, and Art School sent her to the Furniture Design show in Milan. She got a job and moved to New York.

She fell in love, this time with a Philosopher, not a Movie Star - thank goodness. We fell in love with him too. With our family and friends we will witness their vows, toast their long happiness and dance until midnight. The fireflies will watch us from the tops of the black locust trees, and I will watch for your eyes too from the lower tree limbs of the orchard, you enthusiastic friends who have touched me with your interest and support. And then back to real life - the work of taking in the world as much as we can fit.

I will see you after the wedding and share moments of the day - of course!

All my love.