Last Friday, I walked my daughter down the aisle on her wedding day. Despite being a bit nervous about making an ass out of myself - prior to the wedding day I had visions of stepping on the giant bottom of the dress and falling flat on my face - I think it went pretty well. I mean, she made it up to the end of the aisle to the celebrant. Which is more or less the goal.

No, I didn’t cry. I mean, I may have cried if I went through with my planned….er, “handover procedure” that I had cobbled together from frantic combing of wedding sites over the last month…but, we had a bit of a bouquet/dress interface malfunction on the way down (i.e., the bouquet stuck to her dress) so it was somewhat hectic and rushed. At least from my point of view; the groom latched on to my daughter’s hand so he was pretty much good with the world.

I was also fortunate enough to give a toast at the reception that followed. I’ve done toasts before, and always try and take the time to put something together that fits the occasion. I’ve always felt that if someone asks you to speak, you should really put some serious thought into what you are going to say.

For this occasion, I spoke about my daughter and her husband, about some of our history together, and about our family. I spoke about how incredibly lucky I was to have her in my life. I tried to convey, in words, the way I feel about her and our family.

I always like to finish up with a quote or verse. Usually, I tend to pick something and then base the rest of the toast (or speech or essay) around that theme. This time was no exception; I must have read through scores of passages and poems dealing with love, marriage, and family. Yet none of them seemed right. Until I found what I was looking for in an unexpected place.

People of my generation grew up with Doctor Seuss. Whether it was reading the Cat in the Hat or the yearly ritual of gathering around the TV to watch The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, we always were up for the good Doctor. It was in the pages of Oh The Places You’ll Go that I found the lines that would close out my toast.

So for today’s poetry monday, I’d like to thank Dr. Seuss for being there when I needed him. The lines below are pulled from various parts of the book, since I didn’t feel that the guests would want to listen to me read the whole book. However, I think that they convey the spirit of the book and of what Dr. Seuss tried to teach us about ourselves, our friends, and life.

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!