Tonight, I took Steven to his Sunday School teacher's wedding.

It was a sweet wedding and his teacher looked beautiful. I love weddings.  though, not for all the fancy food and flowers.  Not even the beautiful white dress (though i do like them!).  i love the reminder it is to me of my own marriage, the beauty of the resemblance of marriage to our relationship with Christ, and the joy I know they are only now beginning! 

One of my favorite traditions is when the bride wears her veil over her face upon entering the church.  I don't know if this is the real tradition or not, but this is why i wore the veil over my face in the beginning. 

once the bride walks down the aisle, holding her father's arm, the father stands between the bride and groom.  The minister says, "who gives the woman to be married in holy matrimony?"  The father answers, "her mother and I".  Then, the father......this is the part.....removes the veil, kisses his daughter, then steps aside so that the bride and groom are united!!!

how beautiful!!!  the father has protected (veiled) his daughter and prepared her to be a bride.  he has kept her pure, undefiled, protected like a treasure, until that moment when he, with great courage, gives his precious daughter to another man to guard and protect her.  What a loving exchange of the benevolent father to the loving husband.  what  a picture of christ and the church!!! 

He saved us, prepares us (sanctification), protects us, keeps us (sealed) until that amazing day when we will be fully unveiled and given to our heavenly father!! 

Oh, I love it!!

now, on a lower note...sorry to be the bummer.  But, Steven did really well during the wedding and was so excited to see his teacher, the princess, get married!

Then, at the reception, an older couple sat at the table with Steven and I.  they were very nice and friendly and began talking to Steven:

Man: "So, what grade are you in?"

Steven:  no answer.

Alicia:  "he just turned five. He's in preschool"

Steven: "1, 2, 3, 4....Seaworld, my birthday, dolphins, water in the hoops, daddy take me, Nicholas live at Sea World..."  all the while making extravagant hand gestures.

Alicia:  "His daddy took him to Seaworld for his birthday and Nicholas is his friend who is moving to San Antonio where Seaworld is."

Man:  a litte perplexed..."So, did you see sharks?"

Steven: "sharks.  yea.  splashing. lazy river. swimming pool, at my house. the slide. Jackson."

Man:  "oh, great"

The conversation, if you can call it that, went on this way for a few minutes.  Steven just blabbered stuff. I would try to explain what he was talking about, but eventually i just sat back and watched and prayed to dear God that the couple would not ask me if something was wrong with him. 

Finally, they left and I was relieved.

It was one of those, "I think Steven is so stinking cute even when he's acting that way, but i'm scared to death everyone else will notice and realize it's not cute, it's autism."

that was it.  i'm just a little bummed.  i'll get over it, but there it is.