He wonders how it can be that time can pass so quickly. Where did it go? It seems as if it were only yesterday that he was getting up in the middle of the night to soothe her, as she battled through yet another colic attack. He'd pick her up out of her crib and walk with her tiny body pressed against his chest for hours before it would ease up sometimes. When it had finally passed, he'd lay her back down in the crib, and marvel at the innocence of her sleeping face. The sun was often already up by the time he crawled back under his king quilt and went to sleep.

Thankfully that phase eventually passed, and before long she was swinging along the monkey bars at the local playground with the rest of neighborhood's kids. She soon began to outgrow her clothes at a rate he could barely keep up with. There was not a month that went by when he did not have to head to the nearest department store in search of girls shirts, shorts, and shoes. Sometimes, she had the chance to wear something only once or twice before it grew too small for her.

Then came the teenage years. What a misery those were! He could not count the times he wished her mother were still around to help guide their daughter through them. His little girl's body was changing in ways that challenged and confused her. But how could a father adequately explain the workings of a woman's biology when he had never experienced them himself? Somehow, they muddled through.

Before long she was off to college, and every inch the image of her mother at the time that they first met. His heart ached when he looked at her, and all the bittersweet memories came flooding back. Had it really been only a few short years before she was gone from his life forever?

The bombshell that he knew he would one day face dropped sooner than expected. She had gotten him to come with her to the local department store's jewelery section on the pretense of needing a new watch. But as she drew his attention to the selection of mens wedding bands, it was the look in her eye that told him why they were really there. It felt as if his heart were dropping through the floor. But he put on a huge smile and took her in his arms anyway. Robert was certainly a fine young man.

As her big day draws to a close, he watches as they head off on their new life together. Despite the sadness, he feels a father's pride. He's never seen her looking more radiant. Surely, she must be the most beautiful bride that there ever was.