When I was a young mother with my first child, I heard a older friend talking about going to a bridal shower for her future daughter-in-law. She said she read a letter she and her husband had written when their son was a baby, promising to pray for his future wife. I thought that this was a great, noble-mother thing to do, and I decided I should do the same.
I did ... for about a day. I decided that this baby would just have to do the best he could, because I was up to my eyeballs in dirty diapers and how-to baby books. There would be no wife if I couldn't figure out how to raise him. Lucky for us all, God took care of all the details that first day.
Fast forward 20 or so years. Sam is working that summer in St. Louis at a youth camp. Maribeth and I go up to visit, and he brings his college roommate and a co-worker with him to dinner. All five of us are wedged into my little Volkswagen, the girls in the back seat. Luckily, this co-worker was a tiny slip of a girl, so she fit in perfectly - just as she was meant to be.
As it turned out, this co-worker turned into a good friend, who turned into a girlfriend, who turned into a fiance, who turned into a wife, who became my daughter-in-law. Today is her birthday, and I just want to share what a answer to prayer is like.
Lynnette came into our family, being somewhat forewarned about our family idiosyncrasies. She embraces the sane ones, like community pan brownies, and endures the others, like atlas car games. She has witnessed sibling squabbles, considered nefarious plots, and suffered through unending debates. She is always willing for more, because after, all, she is family and that is who we are.
Lynnette and I share certain interests, like all things Disney World. In the past few years, she has started running, and has been my rabbit in several races. When I decided to walk 60 miles in 3 days for breast cancer, she was the one who said, "I'll do it with you." She is the one who got my butt out of bed for those unending training walks, including those when we dodged traffic and silently cursed the whole idea. She is always open for new adventures, because she is family and that is what we do.
Lynnette is quite remarkable. She is very bright, currently working on her second Master's degree. She reads significant books and passes them along. She succinctly expresses her thoughts and ideas. She sings quite beautifully, and has sung for family events whenever asked. She seeks answers from a variety of sources when she needs them, always wanting the best information available. She is relentless in her drive to do what she knows is best, yet is always willing to listen to what others have to say, even in our family, because she is family, and knows we will always have something to contribute.
Many years ago, I prayed that my baby boy would have the wife God planned for him. Little did I know, or even imagine, that He was doing just that, in a city in Texas.
Lynnette, I know what a gift you are to your family in Texas, and to your husband in Tennessee. I just wanted you to know what a gift you are to me.
I did ... for about a day. I decided that this baby would just have to do the best he could, because I was up to my eyeballs in dirty diapers and how-to baby books. There would be no wife if I couldn't figure out how to raise him. Lucky for us all, God took care of all the details that first day.
Fast forward 20 or so years. Sam is working that summer in St. Louis at a youth camp. Maribeth and I go up to visit, and he brings his college roommate and a co-worker with him to dinner. All five of us are wedged into my little Volkswagen, the girls in the back seat. Luckily, this co-worker was a tiny slip of a girl, so she fit in perfectly - just as she was meant to be.
As it turned out, this co-worker turned into a good friend, who turned into a girlfriend, who turned into a fiance, who turned into a wife, who became my daughter-in-law. Today is her birthday, and I just want to share what a answer to prayer is like.
Lynnette came into our family, being somewhat forewarned about our family idiosyncrasies. She embraces the sane ones, like community pan brownies, and endures the others, like atlas car games. She has witnessed sibling squabbles, considered nefarious plots, and suffered through unending debates. She is always willing for more, because after, all, she is family and that is who we are.
Lynnette and I share certain interests, like all things Disney World. In the past few years, she has started running, and has been my rabbit in several races. When I decided to walk 60 miles in 3 days for breast cancer, she was the one who said, "I'll do it with you." She is the one who got my butt out of bed for those unending training walks, including those when we dodged traffic and silently cursed the whole idea. She is always open for new adventures, because she is family and that is what we do.
Lynnette is quite remarkable. She is very bright, currently working on her second Master's degree. She reads significant books and passes them along. She succinctly expresses her thoughts and ideas. She sings quite beautifully, and has sung for family events whenever asked. She seeks answers from a variety of sources when she needs them, always wanting the best information available. She is relentless in her drive to do what she knows is best, yet is always willing to listen to what others have to say, even in our family, because she is family, and knows we will always have something to contribute.
Many years ago, I prayed that my baby boy would have the wife God planned for him. Little did I know, or even imagine, that He was doing just that, in a city in Texas.
Lynnette, I know what a gift you are to your family in Texas, and to your husband in Tennessee. I just wanted you to know what a gift you are to me.
1 comment:
thank you so much for writing this. i have loved being a part of the davidson family. :)
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