Remember as a child exchanging letters with a pen pal in another state? How fascinating to learn what kids in far-away Texas did for fun, or how Joey got to play in the snow for several months in. . . where was that now? You were able to experience someone else’s life. Thanks to The Web (or snail-mail, if you prefer), you can do the same thing today on a larger scale. Find out what life is like in Albania or Argentina, Croatia or Costa Rica, Ghana, Rwanda, Uganda, or Viet Nam. In return, tell about your own life. Find names by asking people at work or church who have relatives in other parts of the world. Check www.mylanguageexchange.com (international pen pals practicing a foreign language) and https://ppi.searchy.net (Penpal International). Or do your own online search. If you do, though, avoid singles sites and ones that show pictures of women who hope to become foreign brides. After awhile you’ll develop a friendship, discovering mutual interests that prove that ours is, indeed, a tiny, interconnected world.
Tag Archive for bride
Personal Note: Two Rings
As you know, I don’t often blog about personal matters (although you get enough of my personal opinions!) But today I’m sharing my bitter-sweet mood.
Last night my son and his fiance texted me pictures of the wedding rings that they’d just picked out for their Sept. 5 nuptials. I looked at those lovely rings and was surprised at my feelings.
Understand that the “kids” will both turn 30 in a month, and I’ve looked forward for many years to being mother of the groom. I love my future daughter-in-law, because of herself and because she makes my son very happy. I think they’ll have a beautiful life together…and give me wonderful grandchildren.
So why the sadness in the midst of my happiness? I figured it out this morning. The problem is that I’m a mother and that my son and I have always been exceptionally close, without an apron-string relationship. And those rings represent the fact that he really is all grown up and about to begin a whole new phase of his life. And I’m turning my “baby” over to another woman.
So now you know the truth about me: I pretend to be a rational, thinking person but have a side that’s irrational and emotional. Then again, that’s probably part of being a Mom, which is a title I cherish and will never give up, thanks to my son’s loving, caring, sharing future bride.
A Wedding Surprise
I’m sure you’re familiar with the song about the Broken Hallelujah. This currently popular song is being adapted in interesting ways. One adaptation tells the Easter story. Another was a surprise for a bride and groom as they sat in their wedding chairs on an Irish altar. The priest walked to the altar. Gentle music began playing. And he sang out his version of the song, tailored to the happy (and startled) couple. I found it fun and charming. Take a look: