THE RITUAL.

So I’ve got this daughter.

Actually, I’ve got two of them, and I thank The Universe for them (and for their brother) every day. EVERY DAY since the moment each were born.

Now they are all adults. Suddenly! The hell, right?

My eldest daughter just moved in with her longtime beau. In Manhattan. Together they are creating a beautiful home.

For Reasons Unknown (song reference, not so much related to this piece but it’s a cool song from The Killers that you should listen to and it sort of relates, I guess) it took me nearly three years to meet this young man who has been courting my daughter and who has won her heart. Excellently.

This morning, in the ultimate Dad Moment, I met them together. At The Place Where it All Began, (different story) the world famous Algonquin Hotel.

He was brilliant. They were brilliant.

I was trying, on my flight home and earlier this evening, to process why this was such an emotional experience for me aside from the fact that I was just tired and my ears were blown out from being in the studio all day before.

I knew everything about the guy, and I knew he totally checked out as a total winner — the exact sort of guy that anyone would want to see their daughter with. EXACT.

The answer, simply, is that it was THE RITUAL.

The thing that every Dad goes through — that moment — when you truly realize your child is an adult. And, if fortunate enough, you realize there might just be another member of your family, not just a stranger around. (And if he’s funny, which this fellow is, it’s all the more brilliant).

And the feelings of pride that pour from your heart as a result are everything you ever need in the whole, wide, world.

It makes you feel, no matter your shortcomings, no matter your challenges, that at the end of the day you have won.

God bless you two. Forever. xoBG.