i've seen that smile before . . .

I got to see one of my dearest friends get married forever yesterday. It was a beautiful occasion. I guess it was particularly special to me because I remember a time - almost 2 years ago - when I had just met this friend, and I had the opportunity to train her as a new missionary for the church. We were together 24/7 . . . literally.

I remember one of the first times we went tracting. It was freezing outside. She was bundled up as tight as she could be, but she was still miserable. Needless to say, we didn't tract a whole lot during our companionship. There were a few days when mother nature dumped a lot of snow on our little town and we had to stay inside for the day. We always tried to find ways to be productive on those days.

Our favorite place was cracker barrel. Pancakes became a staple.

So, why am I writing all of this? I guess because seeing this friend get married was a beautiful moment for me. I still feel a motherly instinct for her because when she came to me as a missionary, she was brand new in the field. In a sense, I gave birth to her. I take no credit for her success as a missionary . . . she was an amazing missionary before she even knew my name, but I do hope . . .as any parent does . . . that she knows how much love and respect I have for her. Unconditional love is a beautiful thing . . . and I have it for her.

So, I'm grateful for the happy day that she could have yesterday. It was happy for me as well. The greatest part of the occasion was the huge grin on her face. Practically perfect pearly whites, shining so bright along with the rest of her outfit. They both looked so white . . . her and her sweetheart. shining white.

and I knew
.............that she
.......was meant to be
.................with him
.....for Eternity