A Father's Heart for His Daughter

As I go through life in the role of motherhood, I have often said (after hearing someone else say it) that having a child is like your heart walking around outside your body. There is nothing that makes you more vulnerable than loving these little agents of free will. Parenting can take you from the highest heights to the deepest depths in the span of a few minutes. Of all the ways I could choose to spend my time, no other calling carries with it the potential for so much eternal fruit. Through the Lord's wisdom and guidance our children can change the world and the fruit of their lives will ripple out into eternity.

We have been working at this job for over two decades, and  I still feel like a rookie on too many levels. That is not because the Lord hasn't tried to give me all the wisdom and guidance I have needed. It is because I  have not always been willing to receive it. When He has gotten it through my thick skull, the Truths He has taught me have always borne fruit in our lives. When I allow Him to raise and train them through me, the results are marvelous to behold. There are those times that you catch a glimpse of His Glory displayed in the life of your child, and it leaves you breathless and in absolute awe. 

In May of this year, our oldest child became a wife! We "finished the race" as her parents. We now have a wonderful new son-in-law named Jeremiah! Hannah has moved out from under our authority and is now under the authority of her husband. Our new role is one of supporting them when they seek our counsel. This change of relationship brings with it the end of a long and fruitful season that we thoroughly enjoyed. It is a precious thing to have reached this milestone as parents. The transition, however, has not been without pain. But that pain is received with thankfulness because the Lord has, once again, shown Himself Faithful and Mighty. As much as we miss having her with us on a daily basis, we know that this is the next step in her maturation as His child.

We wanted their wedding to be a celebration of the joy we felt in being able to launch her into this new stage of life. All the planning, expense and work that went into the wedding was simply a way for us to say, "We are so thankful and proud of you two!!!"

She decided to have the wedding in Bandera. We own some land there and it's a quaint little Hill Country town; exactly what she wanted. There is a beautiful old stone Methodist Church in town, and they just happened to have the date open. The reception was to be held at the clubhouse in the development where we own our land. It's an old Texas ranch house surrounded by gorgeous lawns and giant trees.

Jeremiah's family hosted the rehearsal dinner at Busby's BBQ on Bandera's "main drag". The dinner was great fun filled with hilarious stories and heartfelt tributes. It was precious because we were all there for the common purpose of expressing our love for Hannah and Jeremiah. What a blessing! The hardest part of the whole evening was when Kregg "said his piece."
The year Hannah turned 14, she had given her daddy a special gift for Father's Day. She wrote him a beautiful letter telling him that she had committed before the Lord to entrust her daddy with her heart until the Lord brought the man she was to marry. Along with the letter, she presented to him a tiny little key charm that had a heart cut out of it. She told him it represented the key to her heart and she wanted him to keep and protect it until he could give it, with his blessing, to her husband. He had worn it on a chain next to his heart all of these years. 

Jeremiah had no idea what was coming when Kregg stood up at the dinner that night and asked him to come stand beside him. Kregg then proceeded to tell the story behind the charm. He was weeping, I was weeping, Hannah was weeping. Almost everyone in the entire restaurant had at least teared up. It was excruciatingly painful and so very glorious all at the same time. This was really the culmination of his role as father to this precious daughter whom God had entrusted to him. He was passing the baton.

The day of the wedding dawned bright and sunny. Our families and friends were all helping in every possible way to get our list of "to do's" done. We were up to our eyeballs in hydrangeas and candles, organza and candy. What a blessing it was to have so many who were willing to come ask, "What can I do?" They have a special place of gratitude in our hearts for helping us make that day so special.  

The Hill Country was experiencing a brutal drought and so we were not expecting what happened next. At exactly 7 pm a violent thunderstorm formed right over Bandera. I was concerned about the reception because we had planned to seat lots of people outside with candles and paper lanterns and twinkle lights. We started the ceremony. Everyone and everything looked perfect. Jeremiah had written a song that his friend played as Hannah and Kregg came down the isle. Just a few minutes into the ceremony, there was a huge clap of thunder and the electricity went off!! Now, I had tried to come up with contingencies for all kinds of scenarios, but that one never even entered my mind. And to top it off, the big, beautiful grand piano was electric!! No more music! Needless to say, it was rather awkward and we were basically in shock. The ceremony was, as a result, very short. I must say, though, that the bride and groom handled it with a calm grace and dignity that made us very proud of them. 


As Kregg and I left the ceremony, we were holding our breaths, wondering what would happen when we pulled up to the security gate at the reception venue. Would it open? What if the power was off?? How would people get into the reception? What was "Plan B"? There was no "Plan B"!! Thankfully, there was still electricity. The people we had hired to work the reception, along with one very special angel who stayed behind to make sure everything was taken care of, were able to squeeze all the tables that had been on the patio into the house. It was tight, but at least it was dry. Things weren't quite ready because we weren't supposed to arrive for another half hour. But we made the best of it.

The thunderstorm ended as abruptly as it had began. The clouds cleared and the sky was the most beautiful color of sapphire blue. People spilled out onto the stone patio and Kregg got to have his father/daughter dance with the gorgeous bride. It was bittersweet as he handed her off again to her beaming husband. 

 

They left the reception to an enthusiastic crowd lining the stone walkway and waving sparklers. As the limo pulled away, Kregg's heart broke. He followed the limo to the end of the long driveway and watched them leave. He suddenly felt the overwhelming sense of "things left unsaid." He stood alone and wept at the end of the long, dark driveway. Things were, from that moment on, forever changed. Can you ever really know how you will react in a given situation?  Especially one completely new and so very dear to your heart. As happy as he was for Hannah and Jeremiah, his little girl was gone. He suffered greatly; and he prayed. As always, the Lord's Faithfulness saw him through his grief and slowly pieced together his "father heart" over the next several days.

We have all settled into our new roles and adjusted to the changes. Jeremiah and Hannah are so adorable and Lubbock is only two hours away. It sure makes it easier knowing we can be there in a couple of hours if they need us. Kregg loves to help her with any little thing she asks. Once again, our Heavenly Father has proven Himself Faithful. He provided a godly young man to love and cherish our precious Hannah. It is exactly what we have prayed for since before she was born. 

Being a parent is the "toughest job you'll ever love", to borrow a phrase. If done well, it costs you dearly. My wonderful husband has done it well and it only cost him his heart.

*The beautiful pictures with this post were taken by Kayla Barker of Spink Studio. She traveled with us to Bandera and preserved all these precious memories for us!