Her Glow and Mine

I stole her picture. Hope she doesn't mind!

I remember like it was yesterday the day she was born. In fact it really does seem like just yesterday. When I held her for the first time, I had never seen anything so beautiful. She had a perfectly shaped head and the cutest nose. Of course I was in love immediately.

But she was even more beautiful the day she started to school. So grown up. We had spent hours in the days before preparing the perfect outfit, even down to brand new tennis shoes! And her hair. That gorgeous thick mane of hair. It was french-braided from one side of her head to the other. Perfect.

When she ran for homecoming queen in high school she found the perfect dress. It was her usual style. Classic and timeless. Her hair was pulled back simply and beautifully. She looked so mature. She was a vision on the field with her classmates. I was sure that must have been her most beautiful day.

The preparation for her prom turned into a fiasco. The dress we spent hundreds on was thrown in the garbage. At the last minute she wore a dress I had bought on clearance for $20. It made no difference. The hairstyle we paid to have done, looked fake and she was not happy with it. So she took it down and wore it natural. Again, she was simply and perfectly herself. She had never looked happier or more radiant.

Her wedding day, six years ago, was a fairy tale day. The weather was gorgeous. The location perfect. And her dress was the one she had dreamed of. But as before, she could have worn anything, it didn't matter. She was marrying her perfect guy, surrounded by her family and friends, and her beauty on the outside came from within. I have one picture from that day that is my favorite because joy is written all over her face. Surely no other bride has ever been as beautiful.

But it all pales in comparison to the beauty I see on her face today. She truly has the glow of impending motherhood. Maybe she already has an idea of how her life is soon to change forever. My prayer is that her children bring to her life as much fulfillment, sense of purpose, and pure joy as they have brought to mine.

Thanks for letting me come along for the ride. It's already been everything I anticipated and more.