'Tis the Season

It's wedding and graduation season. We've reached the point in our lives where most of these ceremonies are for children of our friends.

Folklore tells us that all brides are beautiful. I'm not buying it. I've been to some weddings where the bride was uggo and the dress did nothing to flatter her. It's kind of like saying all babies are beautiful. Maybe they are beautiful to the parents but some of them look like Mikhail Gorbachev.

The White House released photos a few weeks ago of Jenna Bush and her new husband. She was a beautiful bride and I liked it that they chose an intimate setting on the Crawford, TX ranch rather than a full-blown, media-infused White House wedding. I'm paraphrasing a quote that was attributed to Laura Bush: We will be leaving the White House but Jenna and her husband can always walk this land and enjoy the memories of their wedding.

The Belle was a gorgeous bride. I find myself browsing through their wedding photos every time I am looking for a particular picture.

Graduation parties have gone the way of childhood birthday parties. Parents (usually the mother) spend hours or weeks assembling photos for scrapbooks or videos. Scheduling becomes a project worthy of NASA attention.

"Tis the season to wish a lot of young people well as they embark on new chapters. "Tis the season to write a lot of checks. 'Tis the season to keep some tissues handy.