I have heard the story of how my parents (Nana and Poppy are what you will know them by) met about a hundred times. As I gain more of an understanding of how God works, I can see Him at work in their beginning as well as in how your mother and I met. This, my daughter, is the story of us.
We all make choices in our lives, good or bad, that have an effect on how the rest of our story plays out. I have made many of these life altering decisions in my twenty-five years of life. But the funny thing about most of them is that, at the time, you have no idea they will alter your path. A simple selection in schools has greatly impacted my life, and ultimately led me to your mother, and to you. When I was just fourteen years old, I made the decision to attend Crowley High School. There, I met your "uncle" Nick, and joined the youth group at First United Methodist; both continue to be a vital part of my life today. Unbeknownst to me, God knew exactly what He was doing. The choice of the high school directed me to where I would enroll in college, and about halfway through my senior year, I felt a calling towards McNeese. I wasn't sure why, but I knew that something was there for me.
Those choices that I wrote of before, the good and bad ones... well, I began to make the bad ones. The distractions of college life got the best of me, and I dropped out after two years and three different majors. But, God was still at work in my life in a big way. After being absent from school for a year, I made the choice to go back and finish my education. This turned out to be one of the best decisions yet.
It was a hot, humid August afternoon when I first laid eyes upon your mother. Her long blonde hair and warm smile were the first things that caught my eye. There was a garage sale at the Wesley Foundation, and your aunt Kat and I had gone there to help set up. I am not sure what it was that she saw that first day, but your mom knew that I was the one. It took me, on the other hand, a little bit longer to figure things out.
Your mother and aunt Kat became very good friends over the next few semesters. Consequently, your mom and I also grew into very close friends; learning about each others faith, likes and dislikes, family's, and future plans. But it wasn't until a year and a half later, when I finally gave my heart to God instead of trying to give it away, that I knew. The relationship that God and I had, begun to grow leaps and bounds. And it was on a couch at the Wesley Foundation that God gave my heart to the one woman that would never break it.
She walked into the room, and I knew. If our story is made into a movie, this part will have a choir and a spot light on your mom, maybe even fireworks. As I sit on the couch, with a smile on my face the size of the grand canyon, I realize that this amazing woman of God has been right in front of me for so long. I saw your mother in a new light that day. Nor more as just a close friend, but now as the woman that God had blessed me with to spend the rest of my life with. There will be moments in your life, my darling daughter, that God will reveal things to you in a dramatic fashion. This moment was one of those times for me. One month later I professed my love to your mother, and today we are six months happily married. I will let your mom fill in the romantic details later, because she is much better at that then I am.
The reason for this letter is not just to tell you of our story, but to encourage you to follow God's plan and allow Him to write your story. Give your heart to Him. Then, when His timing is perfect, God will give your heart to the man who will never break it. You will see a lot of girls trying to find "Mr. Right." You will hear people say that getting your heart broken is just a part of life, or that dating is the normal thing to do. But I tell you that God already has your husband picked out, and if you let God search out the man worthy of calling you his wife, you will never be hurt. Trust in the Lord. For He has a plan for you. One in which you will prosper and not be harmed. Plans to give you hope and a future. You see my beautiful Rebekah, it is not in God's will for you to be heartbroken. This world has got things all messed up. If you follow the Lord's plan, He promises that you will not be hurt.
Continue to grow strong my daughter, and always know that I love you very much.
-Daddy
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