Dancing Alongside the Pain of the First Father’s Day Without My Dad

I’m in tears, but blessed with awesome memories

Photo provided by the author

Fairy tales can come true
It can happen to you if you’re young at heart

— Frank Sinatra, “Young At Heart”

It was supposed to be the song for the Father-Daughter dance at my wedding. Frank Sinatra’s “Young At Heart” was the perfect composition. But the DJ was a nightmare and forgot to bring all but one of the handful of essential tunes on our list.

When I found out our song was missing, I considered hopping in a golf cart to drive half a mile to my in-laws to grab a CD. But my father told me not to worry about it. I can’t remember which song played as a substitute. I only recall the glorious feeling of dancing with my father, as he told me how proud of me he was.

Admittedly, some bridezilla moments led up to the big day. It was enough to cause some unnecessary friction. When the time came for me to walk down the aisle, though, the smile on my father’s face told me everything was okay — I needn’t worry about anything other than soaking up every blessed moment.

Dad was right. Even hiccups with the sucky DJ didn’t kill the vibe of our Casablanca-themed celebration.