To My Angel Baby On Her Wedding Day

To My Angel Baby,

Today I altered your wedding dress. Tomorrow, William Cody Self will alter your future. How did this happen so fast? Just yesterday you and I were up for a 2AM feeding and you were snuggled up to me with a sweet little smile and not one single worry in this world...because I was your world. Oh how I have taken for granted the precious time I had to raise you. Almost a quarter of a century sounds like forever but believe me....it's not!

I think back over the years to all the firsts we experienced together. All of the typical ones come to mind quickly.... First time to sleep through the night; first steps; first day of school; first sleepover without me; first boyfriend. But the ones I really treasure....your first time to taste ice cream; your first time to recognize yourself in the mirror; your first understanding of who Jesus really is; your first time to solve a problem by yourself; your first time to tell me you didn't need my help; your first time to be heartbroken; your first time to tell me thank you for being hard on you when you were younger. All of these firsts were amazing and funny and sad and hard and...priceless!

                 
                                            

I remember you once saying, life doesn't come with a manual, it comes with a mother. Of all the things I've wanted to do and accomplish in this world, being a mother was at the top of the list, just below being a servant to Christ and being a good spouse. Because without being the first two, I wouldn't have been able to fulfill the third. 

My greatest joy has come from being your Mom. I have tried my hardest to teach you to be strong, brave, full of integrity, respectful and self sufficient. My goal was to instill in you a sense of self worth so that one day you could chose a partner that would enhance you, not one that would control you. I believe you have chosen well. 

I’m so excited to watch you move through this next chapter of your life. This is where the fun really begins! Relying on your parents wasn’t a choice. You had to put up with us. Relying on your husband, that is a choice, one that can be a challenge some days but rewarding most days. I hope you will continue to have the patience you have shown growing up. Marriage isn’t always easy, it takes work and commitment but it’s the most rewarding relationship you will ever have.

If I could give you some advice it would be this: always be honest. Trust is a slippery slope and once broken can never be fully repaired. If you are always honest about your thoughts and feelings, you can’t help but respect each other. 

Remember that God will always provide what you need THIS DAY so don’t get consumed with what you want in the future. It’s alright to plan for the future but don’t let your dreams ruin your reality. 

Your marriage will one day be the cornerstone for every decision, every moral, every concept that your children will fall back on to pave their own relationships. Always show them what it means to love, respect and be a united front with each other. Don’t ever let your children destroy your own relationship. They should be third behind your God and your spouse.  

And speaking of children, I think the day I look forward to the most is the day that that I watch you look into the eyes of your newborn child because that my sweet baby girl, is the day I get to see you realize what it has meant to me to be your mother! It’s a love that can’t be explained, it must be experienced!

So as you walk down that isle tomorrow, arm in arm with your Daddy, know this...we aren’t giving you away, we are just Trusting your care to another person. You will always be our Angel Baby!

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV)
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

Love,
♥️Mom♥️