We are six days away from the wedding of my son. He's chosen a precious young lady with whom to spend his life and they both love the Lord with all their hearts. She is already a part of our family and we welcome our new "daughter."

It's normally an emotional time for me, having walked through the weddings of my two daughters in years past. I know what to expect but this seems different. This time I am the Mother of the Groom. This time I'm planning only the rehearsal supper. This time it's my baby boy - that cute blonde bundle of energy that came into our lives 23 years ago. Something in my heart just wants to hold him close just a little while longer, spend a little more time with him, or watch him play another ballgame. But it's actually happened - he's grown up to be a awesome young man with dreams and visions for his life. A life that he will share with Amy. Their sights are set on serving God in whatever way He designs.

The old song "Sunrise, Sunset, swiftly go the years....." is so appropriate for me, yet it's not a sad time. We have raised our children for such a time as this. It's a precious thing - to release them into their God-given destinies like arrows shot to hit the mark. Yes, I've made mistakes in parenting but God is merciful. My children came from Him first and He has been right with them each step of the way.

As with my daughters, our relationship with our son has changed from parent/child to friend/friend. That takes some effort on my part to remember that! They are my adult children but they are also my friends, my brother and sisters in Christ.
Am I afraid of having an empty nest? Not at all. Fly, little birds, fly into the purpose and plan God has for you!

Somewhere along the way, I developed a desire to write. Where the desire came from or why I didn't consider but something in me wanted to write. Write what?! I remember flipping through the clean white pages of a new school notebook and imagining those pages filled with words - stories, poems, personal struggles, things that I didn't want to forget. So I did what any 10 year old young lady might do. I asked for a diary for Christmas and joyfully began to write a special memory each day.

At first it was noteworthy statements like "I made 100 on a English test today" or "My cousin came to visit." One day I wrote "My grandmother died today" followed two days later by "My grandmother was buried today." That entry still stirs emotion in my heart.
By the time I was in high school, I was pouring my heart onto the pages as if my diary was a close friend. Heart-rending relationships with guys, arguments with my girlfriends, all the ups and downs of teenage life - Well, you get the idea.

Then came high school graduation followed by marriage and life happened. Unlike many of my high school friends, I had no desire to go to college. Every life has a calling, something that you are specifically designed to do. I found that calling in motherhood. My children came along, one at a time, and I began the journey of being a Mom to 3 of the most precious children.

A journey requires a journal to record every special moment, every lesson learned, every heartache. Over the past 35 years I've filled the white pages of many notebooks with my heartaches and joys, problems and prayers. These journals help me see the hand of my Lord at work in my life and hopefully they will also serve as a legacy to my children and grandchildren.

That brings me to today. Enter the 21st century and a thing called a blog. Me? Do a blog? I've no training in journalism but from what I have read of other blogs, no training necessary. It's good at my age to begin a new adventure. Right? Right!