The Groomsmen Were Brothers

I love this picture of my three youngest boys. They share the same hair, the same shoulders, the same tuxedos and the same kippah. They are all standing on the groom's side of the chuppah, supporting their brother who was getting married, despite all. They did not want to wear tuxedos. They were not excited about the ceremony. They were hot and they were tired. They had been helping to get ready for the wedding for months. But no one watching them that day would have guessed how they felt. They were there for their brother and that was that. I am not one of those parents who is inordinately proud of my progeny. I do not generally sing their praises from the roof tops. Seriously, most days I am unhappy with at least one of them for at least something. But on Jake's wedding day I was very proud of all of them. True, there were shenanigans. There were silly photos. There were episodes of wrestling. But that is part of who they are together, as brothers. They managed to be the best they could be together for Jake and Alice's wedding day. They individually and as a sibship tried to make the day a success and it was. I am still carrying the glow of it around, days later.