As Bob Seger Says, "Turn The Page ..."

She'll get married here today.

Today my oldest daughter will walk down the aisle of a small, white, quintessential country church. At the end of her short walk, the love of her life will be waiting for her ... in awe of how spectacular she looks. She's a pretty girl anyway, with a smile so sweet and pure Leonardo da Vinci would have painted her rather than the Mona Lisa were he alive today. Her fiance already thinks she's the most beautiful woman in the world, but in that dress ... wow!

When my two daughters and I went shopping for her dress early last spring, we each selected a dress for her to try on. They both wrinkled their noses at my choice, but the deal was that we each would pick out a dress and she would try it on. She tried on the dress I had selected first (probably to get it out of the way and shut me up). When she came out of the dressing room, my other daughter and I burst into tears. The dress fit her perfectly, and my already amazingly pretty daughter looked more beautiful than I ever thought possible.

She tried on several other dresses, but none came close to the beauty of the first one. Aside from the length, it fit her as though it was made for specifically for her. I hope the photographer captures the look on her fiance's face the moment she first appears in the doorway. His jaw will drop.

When I lay down in my bed this evening, that tiny, little 5 lb. 2 oz. baby I gave birth to 24 years ago will be a married woman. A woman! I can't begin to explain the emotions swirling around inside of me. I love her fiance and I'm happy for her, but the day will be bittersweet. It's like when you finish reading a really good book. Regardless of how the story ends, you don't want it to stop. You want it to continue. You're just not ready to let go of the characters you've come to love and care about.

Today is the day she's dreamed of ... and I have dreaded. It's hard to let go, but I just have to keep reminding myself that this isn't the end of the story ... it's just the end of the chapter. I'm not closing the book and putting it on the shelf ... I'm just turning the page.