My daughter’s wedding day is quickly approaching, and we are about as ready as we’ll ever be. We’ve been lucky that the process has gone fairly easily, with no real emotional blow-ups, as can happen when mothers and daughters try to plan a wedding together. I’m blessed to have a sweet and laid-back daughter who is more interested in her marriage than in her wedding. She has her priorities straight.

But in the midst of the joy and excitement of the event, there are moments of profound sadness. None of her grandparents will be at the wedding. Her father’s parents are deceased, and my parents are too ill to travel from their home in North Carolina.

Although she loves her Granny and Granddaddy very much, the absence of her Baba and Nana will be particularly hard. She thought the world of her Baba – a renowned journalist who traveled the world, but loved his family dearly. She and her big sister would spend a week every summer with Baba and Nana, where they would be exposed to art, music, culture and history. The girls rubbed shoulders with people from all over the world.

Once, when Sarah was a child, someone complimented her on her ability to carry on a conversation with adults.

“Where did you learn how to do that, Sarah?” she was asked.

“At Baba and Nana’s cocktail parties,” she said, very matter-of-factly.

When Baba passed away several years ago, Sarah grieved and then formed an even stronger bond with her Nana. Marybelle was a remarkable woman – kind, smart and beautiful. I’ve often heard it said that Sarah bears a strong resemblance to a young Marybelle.

When Sarah traveled abroad for her Jan-term course at LaGrange College, she chose to go to Japan. It was where Baba and Nana were married, and her Nana encouraged her to go. She did, and she said it was a life-changing experience.

Even as a college student, Sarah would often travel to Key Biscayne to spend spring breaks and summer vacations with Nana. Tragically, Marybelle was involved in a traffic accident during one of those spring-break trips. She died 10 days later. Of course, Sarah was devastated. When her father asked if there was anything of her Nana’s that she wanted, Sarah asked for only one thing – a gold necklace that Marybelle often wore. It’s one of Sarah’s most treasured possessions.

But this Christmas, she received something even more special from her father. In a box, nestled between two protective layers, was a delicate string of pearls with a small tag attached to the clasp. Written in Marybelle’s distinctive script were the words “MWS wedding pearls.”

So on her wedding day, Sarah will be wearing the same pearls her beloved Nana wore when she married. Although they won’t be there physically, I know Baba and Nana’s spirits will be smiling and offering a heartfelt toast to their granddaughter and new grandson.

And I know they would be very proud.