whew!

What.

A. 

Day.

10 thousand emotions and a plethora of happy and crying people.  

Of which I was one.

I can't even begin to put it all together in writing, but there were a few totally unexpected gifts that I can.  

The girls were rockstars.  Loved every minute of it.   I didn't expect that.  They threw their petals (and picked most of them back up), meeted and greeted, made lots of friends, danced like the dickens.  Ate cake.  Loved it.  "Great wedding, Grandpa," Lily kept saying.

I am thankful for these girls every moment of every day.  I know you're not supposed to say it about your own kids, but they are ADORABLE, and even though they keep me endlessly running (and have to pee every 20 minutes) they are such God-given gifts and bring such joy.  

My beautiful sister and baby niece were rockstars, too :)

My dad was really happy today, and SO MANY PEOPLE were so happy that he is so happy.  That was such a gift.  People loving the people you love.

I was reminded by so many beautiful people today that they dearly love my father, and have joined me in these years of prayer for his joy and companionship.  I was so deeply blessed by that reminder.

 I was reminded today that there are a lot of beautiful people today who miss my mother, too.  Who love her and remember her and miss her deeply.  I am not alone in that.  And no one is forgetting her any more than we were yesterday.  We're just letting Him continue to work.  Letting His redeeming love redeem.

I was hugged and kissed and loved by so many dear family and friends today so well.  They'll never know how much that means.   I deeply and truly enjoyed sitting with and catching up with and loving each other well today.

I was really proud of my husband, today, who mixed and mingled and preached and prayed and danced and loved everyone well, especially me.  What a missionfield the pulpit was today, and bringing people together and listening to people's stories and making our overly emotional table laugh....he was amazing.  So thankful for the man I married 9 years ago.

I may not know Cindy well, but "her" people love her deeply and couldn't stop raving about what a fabulous woman she is and about what an answer to prayer my dad is for her, just as she has been for him!  So thankful, and so thankful for their oneness in Him.  Thankful that today is not the end of my chance to get to know Dad's new wife.

Despite all the emotion of the day, I found myself deeply and incredibly grateful for a GREAT many people...people that I need and who need me, people God has brought in my life and kept there...despite living so far away, despite all the many changes in life.

And at the end of the day when we could do no more, dear friends from college came over to sit on the porch and cook marshmallows under the stars and order pizza and LAUGH and be friends, though it messed up all their weekend plans, and MAN.  It's those little selfless things of just LOVING each other and sitting with each other and being with each other that make life beautiful.  

Carl, Mary, Chris, Sarah, Bob, Miriam, Jen, Erika, Craig, Ginny, Scott, Lacey, Megan, David, Ruth, Debby, Patty, Gladys, Cathy, Al, Kelly, Kevin, Lisa, Mike, Betsey, Hope, Tony, Lori, Leonard, Louise, Jeff, Robin, Katie....thank you for throwing all your love on Dad and Cindy and us today, for asking, for listening, for sharing, for telling, for hugging, for crying, for loving our girls, for bringing so much laughter, and for treating us like Jesus.

What a beautiful day.