In The Blink of an Eye

Dear Elizabeth,

You did it! Yesterday your dream came true as you married your best friend and love.  And I've never seen you so radiant, you simply glowed! The love and joy on your face, as you looked at Joel, was heart stopping.

Watching you standing there, the most gorgeous bride, my heart nearly burst with love for the beautiful woman you have become.  But your beauty doesn't simply come from a stunning gown or stylish hair, it comes from the very heart of who you are.

I am so grateful to have had the joy of watching my delightful little girl grow into this precious woman whose heart is, and always has been for others.  You have never been just about yourself.

One day when you were about four or five, you were watching a bird out of our dining room window.  After quite a while, you came to me in the kitchen and asked in the most serious voice, "Mommy, do birds wonder?" In amazement, I realized what a sensitive soul you had.

That same sensitivity has guided you through all the relationships of your life.  I know that I could ask any one of the scores of friends that you have had over the years, and they would all say that they have benefited from your giving, caring heart. You have always offered love to others without counting the cost to yourself.

But sometimes that love has cost you deeply and has changed you forever.  When God called you to go to Ukraine to serve the children in one of the orphanages there, you had no idea just how much it would cost you.  But you returned with a broken heart over the hopelessness and despair for the future of those children.

Today, your heart remains broken.  However, you have allowed that pain to change the direction of your life and are now committed to making a difference as God leads you in the future.

Elizabeth, while your heart is beautiful, your humor is over the top!  No one can spend much time with you without being sucked into your totally wacky, off the wall, unpredictable sense of humor.  After all, your cousins used to take you along on their vacations as their entertainment!

Your sweet appearance is deceptive, so no one expects the zaniness that you can't keep inside for very long. Thank you for so much joy and laughter over the years!

Yesterday, all of these things and so much more, flooded my thoughts as I looked at you on your wedding day. It seems like all those years went by in the blink of an eye, bringing you to this special, sacred day. A sentimental part of me wishes that I could go back to the time when I was the center of your universe and had all the answers to your questions. 

But the future is so exciting! These lyrics from the song "Follow Love" describe you and the path ahead so perfectly: 

"I've got a heart that's full of dreams
and a little bit of crazy.
I can feel it pulling me to somewhere I have never been.
I'm packing up and leaving home,
To travel into the great unknown.
It's time, I have to go.

So, here's goodbye here's so long,
I must go and follow love.
I feel my heart moving on,
I must go and follow love.
Carry on while I'm gone.
This is what I've been dreaming of.
I miss you so.
But I must go, go and follow love."

So go, dear girl.  Follow those dreams with your wonderful new husband.  But never forget that I'm here cheering you on and always will be.

All my love,
Mom