The Magic of New Beginnings

Daily Gratitude Year 5-Day 146: Today, I am grateful for the magic of new beginnings.

This morning... it is the dawn of a new day. It is the end of a season and the beginning of a new one. Tomorrow... our son will take the hand of the woman he has chosen and claim her in covenant before God that they will be partners in life, in service and in love. 

Life. Service. Love. All of those things can have some bumpy roads, but love will cover a multitude of sins and imperfections. 

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. -1 Peter 4:8

Love... in marriage... is a perfect commitment to an imperfect person. In the best fits, couples balance each other out with their strengths and weaknesses. Our kids have chosen well. Our hearts are full. 

God's gift of marriage is rich, full and hard work at times, but when well cared for, it will last a lifetime. Intimacy means people know us... really know us. When in that full knowledge of who we are - the continue to love us - that is the miracle of marriage. While culture calls us to chase the fleeting beauty found on the front of a magazine cover, true beauty will always catch our hearts.

A cup of coffee...warm and waiting.
A fresh picked peony from the yard.
A groomed lawn that says, "our home matters to me."
Clean underwear magically in the drawer.
The scent of a favorite cooking baking.
A shared bowl of popcorn or goldfish.
The secret glance of an inside joke.
Knowing what the other is thinking.
Speaking the same words at the same time.
A love note in the lunch box.
Giving up control of the remote. 
Watching the stars.
A senior couple walking along holding hands. 

Oh... the magic of new beginnings. Our hearts are full with our love for them and the joy of their well chosen, perfectly suited mate. Both have traveled to faraway places.. but when they were ready... discovered the best possible choice had been close by all along. 

I have savored being the first place girl in his heart for a beautiful season. It is with prayer and intention that I acknowledge and celebrate Chase's choice. Emma is tender with his heart. She knows him with the experience of nearly 26 years and loves him with a constant, patient love that melts a mother's heart. How do I even begin to thank God for this precious gift of a mate who loves my son differently than I do, but with a beautiful fierceness? 

He... too... is learning to always consider her heart when making a choice or decision. Neither will be perfect in the marriage adventure, but they will hold hands and press on. Annoyance blossomed into affection. Like grew into love. Shared history and joined dreams. 

It is a new beginning. Do we shed some tears? Of course, it is a happy mix of memories, moments, magic and meaning as two lives are joined. "A cord of three strands is not easily broken." God is the Gorilla Glue.

Today, I am grateful for the magic of new beginnings.