Smile, with tears in my eyes.

Today I had the incredible pleasure of watching a young couple start their life together as man and wife. The groom had tears in his eyes as he watched his beautiful bride coming toward him. The father, brought tears to my eyes as well, giving away his oldest daughter, to a man that has pledged to love her, and be faithful to her, and be a Godly husband and leader all the days of their lives. It was an absolutely moving, beautiful wedding!

Not only was this day so beautiful because of the love and commitment of this young couple, it was beautiful because there were families there to help them celebrate that had overcome some of the greatest obstacles in life.

I watched as twin boys probably around the age of 3 walked down the isle of the church, each carrying a wedding ring...one for the groom and one for the bride. I watched as a beautiful little flower girl, threw rose petals as she walked, smiling the biggest, most genuine smile in the world, and did her job proudly and perfectly.

Here's the beauty of this day....This young couple is dedicating their lives to ministry, just as her parents, and grandparents have done.(I'm sorry I don't know more about the Groom's family). The grandparents started a ministry working with men who had life controlling issues like drug and alcohol addiction. They started this ministry in Capital Heights, MD many years ago...raised their own children while giving others the opportunity to have their lives restored. Then their son stepped in and decided that God had called him to that same work. He too raised his family as he did the work that God had called him to do.

Through what God has done in this ministry, I have seen men whose families have all but given up on them, and who many times have all but given up on themselves, find a place to allow God to truly heal them, re-create them, free them...It's something that just can't be described.

Today, those beautiful twin boys who were ringbearers, were also trophies of a couple who had endured much and survived. A man who allowed God to take the very addiction that robbed him of so much in life, to bless him with his wife, and the blessing of those two boys. It was a picture of a restored life and a restored family, and to see these two boys, all I could do was smile with tears in my eyes at how far God had brought this family.

That beautiful little girl, smiling the whole way as the flower girl, will be a little girl who will never have a reason not to smile, because of the changes that God made in her daddy well before she was born. She too was a trophy of what God had done in her daddy's life. See I knew him when many wondered, including himself, if there even was hope for him. Now, he too has allowed God to take away the very thing that tried to kill him, his dreams his future. I saw him with his beautiful wife, and kids, and again all I could do was smile with tears in my eyes. I felt as if I had a movie camera and was capturing wonderful sites.

I saw this same dad, stoop down and allow his young son, not yet even two years old, try and drink from daddy's big cup. When the son had gotten his little drink, daddy stuck his hand out to let his son give him a "high-five". The little boy will never have to know the life his daddy has been freed from. Again, all I could do was smile, with tears in my eyes.

I watched the father of the twins, discipline one of the boys, take him and seat him on a bench with a stern reprimand, and a time out. I saw this man loving his boys enough to discipline them, and train them, and develop them, and they too will never have to know the life their daddy has been freed from. I watched as he and his wife shared a dance, with tears in their own eyes, and I marveled at how far God had brought them.

So you see, although two days from now, it will be 4 years since my own husband's death, and this wedding was already an emotional time for me....it made me smile with tears in my eyes, as I remembered a man who had also experienced freedom from a life of addiction, a true personal relationship with God. I smiled as I remembered the love we shared and the way he loved his children, and I just couldn't help but smile with tears in my eyes.

Now this young couple begins their lives, and for now they will continue on with the ministry to hurting men who need another chance. What lives will God allow them to touch? Will they too raise their children as they minister God's healing and freedom?

All I know is that today was beautiful...painfully sad at moments as I missed my own husband, but so beautiful. And as I look back on today....all I can do is smile, ...with tears in my eyes.