Y’know, my eldest daughter was married this past weekend. I remember the tears starting the day she was born. But that is another story. On this day, the tears started anew the first time I saw her in her wedding dress.Did I mention she is daddy’s girl?I led her up the aisle towards the first day of a new life. She was/is beautiful. And she's wed to an excellent young man. (Although, as I reminded him, he is still under surveillance. Kidding! Sort of…)The ceremony was about love, respect, patience, compromise and thoughts now about two, not just one.In a father/daughter talk the week before, I had asked her if she was nervous. Knowing that she's been organizing and planning for her wedding day since she was six years old, it was kind of a big deal.But we also talked about how a wedding day is just one day; the person you wed is along for a much longer ride. She was anxiously excited, worried about whether she would always make him happy. If that is your starting place, it is a pretty good place to start.I wore my kilt, and she wore our colours in a jacket for the winter weather that was not so wintry. It was a nod to ancestors, as was the huge table loaded with Italian baking, the non-stop food and drink, and the dancing and celebrating. The ancestors would be proud.The long day was over quickly. The sterling young man promised to take care of my daughter because she is a special woman. My little girl: special…and a woman!When your heart is full you have to pause as you are reminded, yet again, about what's really important—the happiness of your family. Their health; their production of heirs (no pressure); their success at making the world a better place to be. The joy of helping them, and knowing you are lucky to be a part of their lives.These moments also prompt me to remember that if I have to spend time away from all that I treasure for my job, it better be worth it. And that goes beyond getting paid and having a comfortable chair. I should be making the world a better place to be. Even better if I'm helping others get closer to the health and happiness that we hold so dear.Thanks, Katie, for reminding me what is important, and why.Ken Burns is a pharmacist at the Diabetes Care Centre at Sudbury Regional Hospital.
