Family Weddings

Yesterday I welcomed a new cousin to the ranks and we celebrated, as my family tends to, with boisterous  choral singing. Old Irish tunes mostly. It used to embarrass the tar out of me when I was a child. And yesterday, I felt that blood rush to my face in that first instant but it quickly passed. I looked over at my father dressed to the nines in a yellow blazer only he and few others can pull off and retain all masculinity. He had a booming smile on his face and for a few moments I just watched him. His happiness was now my happiness. And the great thing was that feeling trumped all others that related to embarrassment or discomfort.

It's not often in a day I truly take the time to be in a present moment. Or, as selfish as I can be sometimes, truly think about someone else. I managed to do both last night and take part in an Irish family tradition. Even if I can't sing.