A dream come true

This past week the family took a trip to Canada. Our dear friend Carpy got married. There are some many things about this trip that I want to write about, but today I am going to choose the dance. The dance that started for me about 15 years ago.
15 years ago, it was a hot summer day. Dutch and I were volunteering at an outdoor benefit concert. Our favorite blues band was on stage and we were sitting comfortably in our lawn chairs. Still single, the last thing we usually thought about was "kids" and "family". We sat enjoying the music when we were both mesmerized by the young family in front of us. Dad sat holding the hands of a young toddler. He toddled her around, spun her and gently led her to dance. Mom was more energetic. She and the young school age child danced WILDLY. Ran around each other, arm in arm and legs high steppin it. The music led them and bound them that day. We were mesmerized by the family's spirit. Their happiness to be together. For that moment their cares, their bills, their worries were swept away. They were happy being together. I was jealous. Dutch was jealous. We wanted to dance with them. We wanted to be them.
Fast forward 15 years... I still remember that family. I don't know who they were or what their names are, but I remember what they were wearing that day. I remember what color hair they had and I rememeber what song they were dancing to.

July 17, 2010 that family became the Hepler's. We participated in the beautiful ceremony of the wedding and then the reception began. There were no dancers on the dance floor...except us. The tunes were perfect. The lighting was dimmed. I danced joyously with Joshua. He swung me and hip bumped me and held me in his STRONG 6 year old arms. He had a smile that shined across the room. Next to us was Dutch and Megan. Dutch's big strong burley arms wrapped up our 10 year old blonde beauty. He pulled her close and danced a tango interspersed with a wild dip or pull. Her smile as she looked at her dad was priceless. It was a cross between "your crazy" and "I love you". For a moment I forgot life. I was watching from above. I was "outside of myself" inspired by the family that I saw. I looked out to the other wedding guests and caught glimpses of peoples faces as we danced on that floor all by ourselves. I saw older folks looking and smiling. I saw young children laughing ... it must have been a sight. But I saw something else. I saw that family from 15 years ago... I saw MY Family..... and I saw my new friends Speedo and Brianna (my new SINGLE friends) watching us.