Beautiful Bride To Be

 This past weekend, I had the joy of attending the Bridal Shower for a young woman who is very near and dear to me. I still remember when she first moved to NY and was attending Bethel. She was in middle school. Very sweet and a bit on the shy side.  When her mom and I met we became fast friends. Our friendship grew to the point that when I was giving birth to my son, I wanted her to be there with me in the hospital. She became so much more than a friend; she was a sister. My son adored her and Eleighna was a great babysitter. Over time life happened and her mom moved to Michigan, our friendship stayed. I did my best to keep a loving and watchful eye over Eleighna.  I kept my distance but prayed daily for God to keep her and carry her and hugged her every chance I had to do so. She became her own woman, strong, confident and grounded in Christ. Over the years when she was dating, I would pray about whomever she was with and if I felt a check in my spirit, I would pray it would break apart. To all her former boyfriends, sorry, not sorry. Then, I found out she was dating Demetrai. When I heard this news I was so happy, I thought my heart was going to burst. He is family. His parents are RJ's church grandparents. His sister is my closest friend and has been RJ's Auntie since he was born. My two very favorite people had fallen in love with each other and I could not have been happier. I watched them overcome many obstacles over the duration of their time dating and engagement. They have allowed it to cause them to grow closer to God and each other. Already they are both successful in their careers and more importantly in all they do in church. They make a beautiful team. Thus, this weekend when I watched her surrounded by her closest friends, her mother, aunt, grandmother and future in-laws, my heart swelled. Her smile was bright and her joy was real. She will make a wonderful wife to Demetrai and still hold her own as the woman she has become.  Her foundation in Christ is sure, this is the most important of all. To beautiful Eleighna, daughter of my heart, I say congratulations and I love you so very much. May God bless you and keep you over the next weeks as you prepare for your wedding day. May you remember the reason why you are getting married.  May you hold your ground on how you want your wedding day to be. May you know that I am forever here in the background cheering you on. May you know that I fight for you on my knees in prayer. May you know that my arms are always open to you. As you walk into this new season of your life, may you always stay close to Jesus, for He is the answer to it all. Congratulations to the beautiful bride to be. God is good.




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