Dreaming of Her Big Day

I remember when I was sixteen and I thought that my long time crush would be "the one". I dreamed of what at the time I thought marriage was.All romance and fun. He wasn't the one, but my forever partner wasn't far down the road. At ninteen I was married, followed by pregnancy, and a beautiful baby girl. My husband and I will have been married for sixteen years in May. How time flys. We have been through financial strain, the passing of loved ones, illnesses, a car accident, and other miscellaneous ups and downs. There have been a fair share of tears, both happy and sad. Arguments and plenty of kiss and make-up moments. Marriage isn't quite what I thought it was at sixteen. It's much more. You don't just float through life on a cloud of love. It takes commitment and effort.

Now my daughter has a special guy in her life and she is dreaming of her big day. She shares wedding dress images, cake designs, and a growing guest list for this future event. I find myself smiling on the outside but a bundle of nerves on the inside. In just a few short years my baby girl could in fact take her walk down the isle and begin her own journey. I try to share tid bits that I have learned along the way, but let's face it know one listens the their mom when it comes to matters of the heart. She will certainly choose her path and her partner and make her own discoveries along the way.

As I type I feel tears in my eyes. I have seen my daughter conquer challenges, grow in strength, beauty, and independance. I know that the day will come for her to go out onto her own or into the arms of her husband and start life without me by her side. She knows I will always be here for her when she has her tears of happiness and sadness. The phone calls about how to cook her first holiday feast and that coveted family recipe for something tasty to surprise her loved ones with. As she dreams of her future I look at the past. Jelly finder prints and mudd pies. A curly haired girl dancing in her ballerina tutu. How time flys. She might think she is ready but I certainly am not. She will forever be my baby girl. I cherish each day with her, because the sand in the hour glass moves awfully fast and before I know it the calendar will have a day circled on it. It will be "the day".

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