the mann family: sharp-dressed mann

liam's had a few significant events at church over the years, and what he's worn has been an important part of them. when he was five months old, he was baptized in a beautiful white gown with his monogram and date stitched on the hem.

at age six, he played joseph in the christmas eve pageant, and was decked out in a long red robe and headpiece.

but this past sunday, for his first communion, he wore no dress of any kind. on the contrary, he wore a coat and tie for the first time -- and i swear he aged about 10 years in the process. we were separated from him in the congregation; he and his fellow first communion classmates were seated in the first few pews as the guests of honor, while the parents sat several rows behind. and all throughout the service i found myself staring at his blond head -- with that cowlick-that-can't-be-tamed sticking straight up in the back -- and marveled at how fast the years are flying.

it will come as no surprise to those who know me when i say that i became a little emotional, especially as we watched them process down the aisle, the boys all decked out in their sunday best and the girls in their beautiful long white dresses. it really does seem like yesterday that i was watching our priest cradle liam's body in his arms as he poured water on his little bald head. and now, in the blink of an eye, he's standing apart from us, wearing a coat and tie and dress shoes, reciting the nicene creed and singing hymns and kneeling and standing and sitting (and kneeling and standing and sitting, as we episcopalians do) at all the right times. it really wasn't so much the actual event that made me teary; it was the seeming suddenness of it all. i'm not quite sure how it all happened so fast. but it makes me want to slow down these days and this stage of our lives and just enjoy them for what they are, because i know in another minute he'll be wearing a much larger coat and tie as he is confirmed and then does cotillion and then takes dates to dances and then attends baccalaureate and then graduates from high school and college. (hopefully at some point along the way, he'll figure out how to tie his shoes and his tie.)

each child presented their silhouette as an offering to God

that morning, he shimmied over his neck the tie that chris had first knotted around his own, pulled at the collar of his sportscoat, and fiddled with the brass buttons as he got used to the feel of these new pieces of clothing. when i shared with him the lyric about every girl being crazy about a sharp-dressed man, he shrugged his shoulders, embarrassed. but the words are true. because this momma -- well, i'm crazy in love with my sharp-dressed mann.