From This Day Forward

Tomorrow is the day.

My daughter is getting married. She left for college and hasn't lived with me full-time since high school. Nothing changes. After graduation, she moved two hours away to take a job closer to her boyfriend. Nothing changes. She and her fiancé already bought a house together in the fall. Nothing changes. Nothing geographically changes with the wedding tomorrow.

But everything changes.

She is now a wife. She is still my daughter, but she is his wife. That doesn't mean she won't see me. Just not as much. That doesn't mean she won't ask for my advice. Just not as much. That doesn't mean she won't come to me to comfort her. Just not as much. That doesn't mean she doesn't need me. 

Just not as much.

That's what we all want for our children, isn't it? We want them to grow up to be so many things.

• Strong
• Independent
• Courageous
• Smart
• Fulfilled
• Loved

My  beautiful daughter is all of these things and more! She's made wise choices along the way, leading to all of her successes in life. This is another one of those wise choices. She is marrying a man who is also all of those things and more. They make a great fit. But still, as a mother, it's scary to put your trust into anyone else to take care of her as I have the past 26 years. 

Will he, like I did?

• Put her first
• Protect her at all costs
• Cherish her
• Dry her Tears
• Respect her
• Apologize
• Change and grow
• Communicate well
• Laugh with her
• Be her biggest cheerleader

Yes. I believe he will. And that is why, tomorrow when I put her hand in his, and trust her with her heart, I can do it confidently. I can do it with pride. I can do it without reservation that although tomorrow everything changes, nothing changes. I will still love her in all these ways, but so will he. 

I am not losing a daughter, or handing over my responsibilities as her mom. I still have those and always will. Now, she has one more person in her corner. One more person to protect, love, and cherish her until death do we part.

A mother's love is forever.

She may not live down the hall, but she will always live in my heart. As everything changes tomorrow, I will certainly cry, but happy tears, knowing she is in good hands. Her husband's and Jesus's. And those are two people I can trust to keep her safe. I am thankful to the Lord for being by her side her entire life, and leading her to the man who complements her perfectly. As they trust in Him and follow His plan for their lives, it will undoubtedly be a beautiful one. 

At the beginning, the creator made them male and female, and said, 

'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,

 and the two will become one flesh'. 

So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 

Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.

-Matthew 19:4-6