Well, we are now down to 19 days until the wedding. Hard to believe. To say that things are a little chaotic would be an understatement. As I type, Katy is working on a video for the interlude between the wedding and reception. Pam is steaming runners. I’m getting ready to iron table cloths and Kandace, Clara and Andrew have just finished folding clothes. It’s busy!
But I will tell you that as the wedding day draws ever closer there is a true “bitter/sweetness” that is falling upon me and Pam. Yes, it’s happening to Kandace, Clara and Andrew as well, so I don’t want to diminish all they are feeling. It’s very real and very pronounced. The departure will be hard. Yet, the Lord provides!
Katy blogged last week about her mom and me and well…I would encourage you to read them. They’re not long…but I think you might see greater insight into the nucleus of a very close-knit family…of which I’m grateful.
Mama
My family at the time in my bedroom in c. 2001 |
Traveling with Mom to get Andrew in 2008 |
I’ll never forget sitting across from her in the schoolroom and her high voice asking, “What is 4 x 8?” I would drop my head in my hands, “Umm, 36?” She would breathe deeply, ” No, Katy, 32.” I’ll never forget the way she looks in her thick wintry pajamas as she sits on the couch by the Christmas tree drinking coffee, or the way she laughs when something is so funny that she throws her head back and no sound comes out. I’ll never forget how she always loses her sunglasses. I can’t forget her face when she’s mad or her smile when she’s happy. I’ll never forget crying when I didn’t pass a test and her words of encouragement. I’ll always remember her smiles when I exceeded expectations, her standing to clap when I finish performing. I’ll never forget her yelling up the stairs to my room telling me to come set the table.
In Times Square in January 2012 |
Mom by my side at my bridal shower Sunday October 7th 2012 |
I want to be a wife like my Mama. I want to be a Mom like my Mama. I want to be a follower of Jesus like my Mama. For 18 years she has taught me how to fly. In 30 days, she will finally say, “Fly.” I will hold on one last time before I spread my wings and soar. I will never forget. I will always be thankful for the years I had with Pam Brown. I love my Mama.
Daddy
Daddy holding me. Ignore date.. it’s obviously wrong. 🙂 |
My Daddy, like my Mama, has been there since the start. Maybe since they have always been there I could be accused of taking their faithful presence for granted. I have taken it for granted. My Daddy amazes me. Is he perfect? No. Has he made me mad before? Well, you better believe it! We both like to be “right.” But you can’t stay mad at him long. I’m not sure how, but he makes holding a grudge… boring. My Daddy gives constantly. I rarely ever see him be the “taker.” I remember him saying to me one day, “There are givers and takers in this world. Be a giver.” He is the hardest worker I know. Sometimes he works too hard. Yet, the work is not for fame or wealth, but for the Kingdom. See, Daddy practices what he preaches. He says to believe the Bible, so he acts like he believes it. He stores up treasures in Heaven.
11 months ago I sat on a plane in Sudan on the way to Ethiopia for the second time. I looked out the window at the barren and dry land. I cried. Not because of the poverty out the window, but because I was realizing… God was showing me, that I was in love. Daddy sat by me as I poured out my heart. He listened as I told him how I felt about Josh. And now, less than a year later, he will walk me down the aisle to him.