Truly Phenomenal

Erica the Beautiful

My princess threw herself a fairy tale last night. In a rustic alley reminiscent of the Prohibition era, with a flower girl twirling a turquoise parasol,  surrounded by love, my niece married her true love.

When she appeared at the end of the aisle,  my heart jumped into my throat so hard, so unexpectedly to me, that my nephews burst into tears.  In that instant,  I saw the little girl in a white bonnet, beaming at church because she thought the choir was singing her praises in the hymn "Erica the Beautiful". I saw the sweet cherub running to me crying as her older brother chased her down. I saw the twelve year old at the kitchen sink late at night,  doing dishes and calling for her little brothers to get ready for bed. I saw the fifteen year old, brimming with pride, handing me her binder filled with her plans of being a detective.  I saw the little girl holding back tears when talking about her dad's new family.  I saw the angry teen, scrawling epitaphs in sharpie all over her mattress when my mother died. I saw the brave young woman in combat gear when she was in Iraq. I saw her.

Brave beyond belief.  Full of faith beyond reason that her dreams would come true. And they did.

She is a formidable force. Creator of award winning cakes. Traveling nurse working on her Master's between medical missions to Third World countries. Proud Veteran and incurable romantic,  with unmatched style and organizational skills. When I look at her now, as the woman she's become,  it's easy to forget that little girl longing for love.

Last night,  her phenomenal entirety came crashing into my mind all at once. This girl I cried so many tears for. The one that hoped beyond incredible odds that if she just tried her best her life would be a fairy tale proved herself true.

She is my hero.

And not just mine. It occurred to me,  as I watched her father/daughter dance, surrounded by her brothers and stepdad,  that she had a hand in raising us all. I don't think I was the only one.  I don't think I have ever seen so many men cry so hard at a wedding.  I know none of us were prepared for it. I think it says something about this phenomenal woman that so many phenomenal men reacted so viscerally to Erica's dream wedding.  She sacrificed so much of herself,  her youth, to be a good example to her brothers, to all of us. After so much selflessness,  sacrifice, and loneliness, so many disappointments that we helpless to shield her from, our princess became her own knight and made herself complete. Then she found a prince and a knight as goofy, sentimental, courageous,  passionate,  ambitious,  and free -spirited as she is. 

For so long,  she seemed to me the muse for this song, but now this little girl with nothing wrong isn't all alone.