Give Away

Tonight as I suffered through yet another "rom-com" I got to thinking about weddings (maybe because it was a wedding movie). There is so much tradition that goes into weddings, so many things that we do just because it's always been done. How frequently do we actually pause to think about what we're doing, what the motions we're going through actually mean.

Take the "giving away" of the bride, for example. A lovely woman has made a decision about who she is going to spend the rest of her life with, and the last step in transitioning from single to married is having her father (or other male family member) give her to her new male family member: her new keeper. It's more than just a tradition, it's an exchange of commodity (or, liability).

When that day comes for me, I want more than anything for my family to be present and supportive, but h'ain't no one giving this woman to anyone.