Milestone — a significant event or stage in the life, progress, development, or the like of a person, nation, etc.
Milestones
Think about all of the milestones we celebrate — births and birthdays (especially those big ones like 13, 18, 21 and, of course, the decade years). We mark first steps, first teeth, first words and even first time using the potty. The first day of school each year is recorded and graduations are marked by pomp and circumstance. First dates, first jobs, first homes are all milestones to celebrate as well.
This is a milestone blogpost for me. It is the 200th post I have written on my blog. Two-hundred! It doesn’t seem possible that I could even have that many words to share.
Such a milestone blog deserves an equally important subject — another milestone, for instance.
A Huge Family Milestone
Well, I have just the thing to share with you. My family experienced a most significant milestone just two weeks ago — something we have been eagerly anticipating. My son, my firstborn child, proposed marriage to his lovely girlfriend high up on top of a North Carolina Mountain!
I love how he planned everything out. It was a surprise to her and he graciously included both families.
The plan was for my son, his girlfriend and two close friends to travel to North Carolina to go hiking in the mountains. My husband and I were spending some time in my family’s cabin in the mountains that same weekend. My daughter and her husband joined us and on the day of the engagement, the girlfriend’s parents and brothers arrived. We got the news that she said yes so the second part of the surprise was initiated. Congratulations banners were strung, appetizers were laid out and we waited for the happy couple to arrive. It seemed to take forever — they had to hike down the mountain and drive back to their guesthouse to shower and change clothes to go out to dinner. On their way to dinner, my son turned up our road to show everyone the cabin before it got dark. His fiancee was indeed surprised and very happy to see her family. We had a sweet time of celebration with both families getting to know each other.
We spent the following day exploring the area with our soon-to-be in-laws. We have vacationed in the area for around thirty years but they had not so it was fun sharing some of our favorite places with them.
The next weekend, we drove to Nashville to attend an engagement party. It was lovely meeting the family and friends. Everyone was so kind and we immediately felt drawn into the fold. We are so happy for our son. We can tell he’s going to be a part of a wonderful, loving family.
What Every Parent Wants
That’s what we all want as parents, isn’t it? For our children to be loved, to find that special person who they can share their life with. Someone to share all the good times and someone to be there for them when times aren’t so great. It’s almost like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, the weight of waiting to see who it would be. I am confident that my boy has found a remarkable young woman to journey through this life with and I am filled with joy.
The next surprise was on me when I got a phone call a couple of days after the engagement. “Mom, how do you feel about a Christmas wedding?” Wow! Things are moving fast. I know it will be a fun, hectic, beautiful flurry of activity from now until December 28. It’s definitely a milestone year.
Kim Wilbanks 