Matthew

Matthew was a sweet and good friend to William.

He is the first of William's buddies to get married.

It was a beautiful ceremony and fun reception.

I laughed.  I cried.  Of course, I thought about William and how much he loved Matthew.  I thought about how much Matthew loved William.  I thought about how much William would have loved watching his friend find love and happiness.

But mostly, I thought about Matthew and how life is constantly changing.  As well it should.  It is good to go forward.  It is good to watch God's plan for our lives unfold, to find our purpose.

I find myself actually looking forward to my girls finding love and happiness.  I look forward to watching them marry and have children and live life.

The preacher told a sweet story of the bamboo tree: It does practically nothing for 5 years.  You water it and care for it with seemingly no results.  But in the 5th year, it grows 80 feet in 6 weeks.  Did it grow 80 feet in 6 weeks or did it grow 80 feet in 5 years?  Obviously it grew 80 feet in 5 years...it was growing a strong root system that would support it during hard times.  What you feed, water, nurture, and care for WILL grow.  If you nurture seeds of bitterness, jealousy, and frustration, they will grow.  But if you nurture seeds of love, forgiveness, and joy, they will grow.  We must choose what we will nurture in our marriage.  Hard times will come.  Make sure your roots are strong.