Beech Tree News Network

I went to New Orleans this weekend for my daughter, Nikki’s, and her fiancé Thomas,’ engagement party.  On the way down, I picked up my sister-in-law, Charlotte, in Birmingham.  The party was hosted by Thomas’ mom, Jean, and it was held in a turn-of-the-century restaurant in a small town called Thibodaux (pronounced tib-a-doe).
Thomas’ brothers, Jacob and Barrett, live in the town with their wives (Jacob has a son, four-year-old, Finn).  The rest of Thomas’ family is from the nearby town of Galliano.  He grew up on a street that included the homes of his paternal grandparents, two uncles and one aunt.  When Thomas was small, his dad, as well as both of his uncles, had shrimp boats—their dad had shrimped when they were little boys—so Thomas and his brothers were raised with a strong work ethic.  Their mom, Jean, provided the balance by letting her sons loose during their free time to explore the nearby bayous in their pirogues (small cypress dugouts).  There is a confidence in each of the boys that can come only from those who have been allowed to try and fail then try and succeed on their own.
Thomas’ dad, Farrel, is currently the captain of a lift boat on which both Thomas and Barrett work.  Their elder brother, Jacob, works in the office for the same company.  A lift boat is a large boat used in the removal of oil platforms in the Gulf.  The boat uses powerful jets of sand and water to cut through the platform pillars beneath the surface of the ocean floor.  Before undertaking the process, the boat rises up out of the water for better leverage; hence, the name, “lift” boat.
We first met Thomas a couple of years ago.  He explained to Garey and me what he did for a living by saying, “I’m a mate on the ship, which means I do what nobody else wants to do, but I hope to work my way up.”  That’s all we needed to hear.  He was okay in our book.
 Thomas’ family is very close.  It is one of those families that a lot of us have only dreamed of having.  They are very supportive of one another, making the effort to put personal differences aside when it comes to the welfare of the family.  They were all there on Friday evening—parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousin—to support one of their own.  They welcomed Charlotte and me into the fold by personally introducing themselves to us, and telling us how much they thought of Nikki.
We ate shrimp and Jambalaya and bread pudding.  There was a beautiful tier cake and champagne for toasting the future bride and groom.  As I watched the Charpentier family (pronounced Sharpen-T-A), I thought back to the anxiety I had when Nikki told me she was moving to New Orleans.  I knew she would have Thomas, but Thomas works a two-weeks-on-shore/two-weeks-off-shore job.  I was so worried Nikki wouldn’t have anybody to help her.  I realized on Friday night that I shouldn’t have worried.  She would always be our little girl, but she was part of a new family, a family that has made her one of their own.