Thursday, April 1, 2010

Memories Light the Corners of my Mind

The Hennrich house is in FULL Wedding Planning mode!!!

The countdown is on - less than 2 months till my baby becomes a Mrs.
It really is hard to believe.

I have been having such fun and I hope Kate is having as much fun as I am.

I really thought that most of the work would be finished by this point and we could
spend the last few months coasting into the wedding.
But . . . I was wrong!!!

All major decisions have been made.
Everything is booked and purchased.
Invitations have been mailed.

What could possibly be left to do????

Well . . . let's see . . . let me count the things . . .

music selections
shoes for the bride and mother of the bride
RSVP's to keep up with
last minute food decisions
programs to be created
bridal showers
and . . .

Tomorrow is the second dress fitting, possibly the final one; and tonite I sit here and
remember. . .

* hearing the fantastic words "It's a girl!"
* rocking my sweet baby
* watching as she picked out her first pet - the scrawniest kitten in the bunch that she insisted on rescuing
* taking that first day of school picture and leaving the kindergarten classroom as she sat with a big grin on her face assuring me she was ok
* watching in amazement as she worked so hard to keep up with her 2 big brothers
* how she always wanted to help me
* that special night when she prayed asking Jesus to live in her heart forever AND the very special Sunday that she was baptized!!!
* how very much she loved spending time with her grandma and how she helped her grandma during her final months of life (I knew without a doubt then that my baby was destined for great things)
* watching her on the volleyball court, soccer field, and basketball court and thanking the Lord that she was not like me
* hearing a teacher tell me that "Kate is comfortable in her own skin and you should be proud of that" - and I was!!!
* helping her get ready for her very first formal dance and thinking "Oh my gosh - she is so gorgeous!"
* being amazed at how she made her mind up about her career and went full steam ahead to achieve that goal
* how proud I was when she found out she was accepted into the RN program and then finding out she was the youngest in the program
* being even more proud of her when she graduated and attributed her nursing choice to her grandma
* the excitement of her first job as a Registered Nurse
* helping her move into her own apartment - I couldn't believe the independence she had at the tender age of 20!!
* the shock of hearing her say, "I think I want to do Nurses Without Borders"
* the apprehension I felt as she traveled to Nicaragua (another step towards her goal of changing the world) and the pride I felt at the same time
* the fear I felt when she announced, upon returning from Nicaragua, that she was going to contact Nurses Without Borders (I had secretly hoped the mission trip would change her mind)
* the humility and tears shed as I realized my baby really belonged to my Heavenly Father and I had no right to hold her back!
* the look on her face when she told me she met someone and the next month when she told me she loved him

And now here we are . . . in less than 2 months she will no longer be Kate Hennrich - but will be Mrs. Jacob Musgrove - Kate Musgrove.

I don't know what the future holds for my baby - But I do know who holds her future!! She may no longer be considering Nurses Without Borders - but together with her fiance they are considering mission trips together. I also know that she loves the Lord and God will use Kate and Jake in a mighty way for his kingdom's work!