It is a pretty amazing thing to become witness to the wedding of your child. Some times is take a pinch to see if this thing is real or not. Yesterday finally came as my wife and I had imagined so many years ago. Our little boy meeting the girl of his dreams and watching them become man and wife. Being the parents of the groom leaves us with little to do, but I can tell you that it certainly takes a lot of planning and preparation on behalf of the bride and her family to pull it off. Countless hours of decisions to make the event come off without a hitch.
I sat there in the front seat listening to pastor speak his beginning comments. We all sit on the patio of the Norfolk Botanical Gardens surrounded by the splendor of all the beautiful plants and flowers. Truly an amazing evening. The temperature was right. The wind was right. The venue was oh so perfect. I tried to clear my head of any pre or post things that bobbled through my mind and only focus on the moment. You know sometimes i drift. Not this time. I could sit there and listen to the words and watch the reactions of those standing in front of us. The pastor spoke from Ephesians which is pretty typical. But he went back to the Book of Genesis of when God was creating the earth. I love these scriptures as they speak of how God was so pleased with his work. He even said so. He created the light....and it was good. He created the firmament....and it was good. so on and so on and each time it was good. Until it came time for God to create man. He didn't speak him into existence, profoundly he created man from the dust of the earth. And when he did, he looked upon his craftiness and said......this is VERY good. I love these scriptures.
The next part is always amazing to me. Because when God looked at all these things and man by himself....alone.....he said...."this is not good". Alone is not good. So he gave man a helpmate. He gave man woman. I can tell you that I don't know how I would have made it all these years without my "helpmate". I am sure our son will feel the same way.
The bride was beautiful. The groom was handsome. All things came together perfectly yesterday evening and God made the most amazing union between two individuals. Man and Wife. I didn't have any tears yesterday. No sadness at all really. I hadn't lost a son. I had gained a daughter. I was proud. A proud papa.
As time goes on, my wife and I grow older and see our babies grow up to be so responsible, self confident and well...BIG. They are not babies anymore. They are becoming themselves. A path that we set them on all those years ago. Slowly, our little house that just a few short years ago was bursting at the seams. The bathroom that was always busy.....schedules had to be made for Sunday morning showers and school day preparations. The yard that was filled with mud puddles from continuous afternoon football games. All of those things have since come to an end. Yes, the only sad part is that our little house just just a bit empty now. The second bathroom isn't used often. The kitchen is usually clean and no more piles of dirty dishes in the sink. Clothes no longer find a home on the bottom of the stairway leading towards the bedrooms. And yes, when some is cleaned....it stays that was for a bit longer. Those days were hectic, but they will also be missed. Now we just prepare the home for the occasional visits by our little ones.
God bless you kids. We love you and will always be there for you......ok, so now a few tears.
Be faithful my friends.
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