“You’re useless!” my daughter-in-law screamed as she shoved me into the pool at my son’s wedding. Everyone laughed—until the lights dimmed and the event manager announced, “All bills have just been canceled.” The hall went dead silent. The wedding was a fantasy spun from glass, white linen, and the impossible blue of Lake Tahoe. I, Helen Vance, the groom’s mother, stood as a quiet island in that sea of celebration. My son, Jason, trailed behind his new wife like a well-trained puppy. And Amelia,

“You’re usel:ess!” my daughter-in-law screamed as she shoved me into the pool at my son’s wedding. Everyone laughed—until the lights dimmed, and the event manager announced: “All bills have just been canceled.” The hall turned de:ad silent... The wedding was a fantasy spun from glass, white linen, and the impossible blue of Lake Tahoe. I, Helen Vance, the groom’s mother, was an island of quiet elegance in this ocean of noise. My son, Jason, trailed behind his new wife like a well-trained puppy.

“You’re useless!” my daughter-in-law screamed as she shoved me into the pool at my son’s wedding. Everyone laughed—until the lights dimmed and the event manager announced, “All bills have just been canceled.” The hall went dead silent. The wedding was a fantasy spun from glass, white linen, and the impossible blue of Lake Tahoe. I, Helen Vance, the groom’s mother, stood as a quiet island in that sea of celebration. My son, Jason, trailed behind his new wife like a well-trained puppy. And Amelia,