speech. But something happened before the ceremony that made me realize I needed to say something completely different.
The people at the tables stopped talking.
— Today, a little girl in a pink dress was told by an adult that perhaps she no longer had a place where she believed she belonged as part of the family.
I looked at Claire.
svgFamily
— So I want to remind everyone here of something.
Then I turned toward Margot.
— She is five years old. She has already had to face a loss that is difficult even for an older child to understand. She doesn’t need adults making her question whether she truly belongs in her own family.
Margot was looking at me.
— She deserves to know that she is loved. That she is needed. And that she doesn’t have to fight for her place beside her father.
I looked at Claire again.
— She should
be in the photographs with her dad. Not because someone is doing her a favor, but because she is his daughter.
svgPeople and Society
No one in the room moved.
— She will be in those photographs today. And I hope that one year, five years, or ten years from now, she will still be standing beside you in family photographs.
I looked at Emmett.
— You chose the woman you want to spend your life with. I hope the two of you build a home together where there is room for everyone who is dear to you.
I raised my glass.
— To Emmett and Claire. And to the family they are beginning to build.
I sat down.
For several seconds, no one said a word.
svgChild Care
Then the room erupted in applause.
Later, Emmett found me outside.
— Did you hear what Margot said?
— Yes.
— I didn’t know.
— I understand.
He
