Everything in me wanted to run to them. To squeeze them tight and tell them how much I loved them. But it wasn’t about me. It was their day, and they were embarking on their new life together.

I stood there frozen. The lump growing in my throat, my chest tightening, as I fought back the tears. This was it. The closing of a book I never wanted to end.

“God help me be strong. Don’t let me break. Not here.”

I couldn’t let the grief overtake the joy. How embarrassing that would be!

Was I smiling? I wanted to be smiling in case he looked my way. He needed to see the same smile and nod I’d given him the last 22 years. The one that tells them they are OK. I am OK. This is OK. Everything is OK.

I Just Had to Let Go

I could hear the crowd around me cheering as they blew bubbles and celebrated the couple. Flashbacks were running through my mind. The crowd saw a man, but I only saw my dimple-faced little boy… slipping from my grasp… and I had to let go.

“God, please give me strength!”

Before I knew it, the only person feeling the exact same way, in that moment, put her arms around me. Together, we watched as our babies drove away… and the book closed.

In that moment, God calmed my heart and gently reminded me of his hand in all of it.

Not only did He bless our son with the most beautiful woman to walk through this next story with him, but He blessed our entire family with a wonderful extended family. I hadn’t lost anything. I had gained more than I could have asked for.

Standing beside me was a mother who fervently prayed the same prayers for her little girl as I had for my son. In her, I found a friend to walk and pray through this next story with.

Just as we stood watching them leave, we will continue to stand together, as one family. We will cry, laugh, and celebrate together for years to come.

Moms, pray for your children, pray for their futures AND for their future spouses. You will be rewarded, too! God is so faithful to the prayers of mothers. Exceedingly and abundantly.

I am truly grateful and blessed.

This was such a special moment and I’m thankful someone captured it for us.

~Serena