A little story before this one.
When Charlene was carrying Josh, she looked at me and said we'd better break in a good pair of running shoes — 'cause this one was gonna keep us moving.
She wasn't wrong.
Kid hit the ground running, and near as I can tell, thirty years later, he still hasn't stopped…
He had a teacher back in daycare…
A woman named Peggy…
And Peggy pulled us aside one day and said, "That boy of yours is a wild stallion. You can tame him a little, but whatever you do, don't you ever break his spirit."…
We tried to live up to that. And I think we did alright.
So this one's for Josh. Tonight he marries Martina, and there's nowhere I'd rather be than right here, playing this while he dances with his mother.
Josh, Martina, we love you both.
Charlene, the floor is yours.
You came in this world with your shoes on the run,
And I laced up my own just to keep up, son.
Peggy watched you tear through that preschool yard —
She said, "He's a wild one, and he's wild in the heart.
You can teach him what's right, you can show him the wrong,
But don't pull the reins on a heart that strong."
I never once wanted to slow you down,
Just to steady your feet when you hit the ground.
Let you run, let you fall, let you find your way —
Keep a light in the window, however far away.
And looking at the man here, standing tall —
Peggy, we never broke him after all.
You chased your brother wherever he'd go,
Four years behind, and you never let it show.
His friends made room, pulled you into the line —
Big brothers from other mothers, all in time.
You'd stand for a teammate, you'd stand for a friend,
The kind who's still standing there right to the end.
Let you run, let you fall, let you find your way —
Keep a light in the window, however far away.
And looking at the man here, standing tall —
Peggy, we never broke him after all.
Then Nova came along and she chose you,
And a good dog always knows what's true.
She saw the steady heart beneath the speed,
The gentle hands that gave her all she'd need.
And now Martina's standing at your side —
Not there to hold the reins, just there to share the ride.
I'm not letting go of the boy I knew,
I'm just making the road a little wider for two.
That wild heart never lived in a house or a name —
It lived in the ones who loved you and never tried to tame.
I never once wanted to slow you down,
Just to steady your feet when you hit the ground.
Let you run, let you fall, let you find your way —
Keep a light in the window, however far away.
And watching Martina take your hand today —
Peggy, that spirit found its way.
Peggy said, "Don't break him. Let him run."
I think we did alright, my son.
So take her hand. The road is yours.
Go on now. Run.