I'm hearing strains of "Sunrise, Sunset" in my head these days. In six days, my daughter becomes Emily Thompson. Emily has all the qualities of a godly wife, and a sweet spirit, and a tender heart toward the Lord. There have been some candidates for seeing Emily who didn't quite make it around here, for one reason or another. You have to expect that when you have a sweet and beautiful daughter! With three older brothers and a Dad, the candidates had to expect it to not be easy to get to date her!
Then came Ben. We are thankful that Ben grew up in a believing home, of some wonderful godly parents. (At this point, I must express gratitude to the Lord for giving all of our children mates who have believing parents, who have raised them to love the Lord. ) Ben has a gentle heart, and yet is able to say, "Now Emily, that's my job." We were privileged to have Ben live in our home for 2 1/2 months, (since Emily lives in Arlington with Jessica) and we went from, "Well, he's passed all the 'tests' and answered all our questions correctly. Em loves him, and we trust her." to an enthusiastic, "He's perfect for our Emily!" Ben is consistently patient, loving, encouraging, and absolutely loves our daughter. Emily's love for Ben passes Daryl's "sparkle" test...if the girl's eyes don't sparkle, something is missing! (See above pic, where her eyes sparkle!)
What can I say? Daryl has already measured the 66 feet from the back of the sanctuary to the front of the sanctuary, where he places Em's hand in Ben's. I'll probably cry all week, and have a blast helping Em get ready for the wedding. In six more days, she becomes Emily Thompson. As in all the other weddings around here, our family has been blessed by it's additions! I'm not losing a daughter...I'm gaining a Ben!
