A Daughters Choice

You can not attend three weddings in a month and not reflect on your own.  Weddings have changed so much since Brett and I got married 32 years ago.  When Brett and I got married, you had the ceremony upstairs in the sanctuary, and then a cake and punch reception in the basement of the church.  I love that weddings now are an all day event and such a celebration of two lives joining together.

There are so many decisions a bride must make.  Location of the wedding and venue for the reception, a date that is open for both, choosing who is in the wedding, colors, dresses, flowers, decorations, cake, and food, the list goes on and on.  As I watched these three brides there was one decision I was glad they didn't have to make, Sarah, Kayla, and Whitney were all walked down the aisle by their Dad.  Dads they grew up with.

As a young bride of 18 one of the toughest decisions I had to make was who was going to give me away, my Dad or my step-Dad.  I came up with this awesome plan.  My Dad could walk me down the first half of the aisle to represent that he was there in the early years of my life.  He could walk me half way to Gary shake hands and hand me off.  Gary could walk me to the end to represent that he raised me through the middle years of my life. He could give me away to Brett to spend the rest of my life with.  Unfortunately, that plan didn't come to me until many years later.

So, I had to make that tough choice.  After many hours of soul searching I made the choice to have my step-Dad walk me down the aisle. I then had to write my Dad and explain my decision.  I received a letter back from him, telling me he understood and respected my decision but that I must also respect his decision not to be at my wedding.  That was very heart breaking for me, but I took it in stride.  I handled it like all other hurts and disappointments in my life.  I stuffed it deep down never to be thought about again.

Now in the second half of life, after working through all those buried pains, hurts, and disappointments, I can be  grateful.  I can be thankful that the decision was so hard, because I had two wonderful Fathers to choose from.  Jeremiah  29:11 says  " For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Even before I was born, God knew I would have these two wonderful men as Dads.

So, on this day set aside to honor our fathers.

Harvey - Thanks for being a great Daddy, for giving me life and making me feel like a princess in the early years of my childhood.  I love you and miss you and would give anything to have just a couple of hours to sit down with you.
                                    
Gary -  Thanks for being a wonderful Dad. For ALWAYS treating me and loving me as if I were your own. Thank you for raising me through those difficult years and for always being there.  I love you.  Happy Fathers Day.

  

And to Brett thanks for being a terrific Dad to Brittany and Chris.  To all those great examples of wonderful fathers in my life Grandpas, uncles, brother-in-laws, nephews, and friends HAPPY FATHERS DAY!
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