Reflections from My Daughter's Wedding

Well, it finally happened.  My oldest daughter, my first born, was married last week in the Salt Lake Temple.

I can't tell you about the whirlwind of emotions I experienced, mostly positive,  that I experienced that day.  This has been a long time coming.  I've been a Dad for almost 23 years.  It's become ingrained in my being and is part of my eternal identity now.  I have to admit, I miss hearing her melodic voice echoing through my apartment as often as it used to.

After she came home from her mission, she had a short stint living in an apartment at college.  A few months later she moved in with me in order to save money, spend time with her Dad, and to heal both physically and emotionally before her wedding.

She had a tough, but beautiful mission, but came home sick and is still suffering from some of the after affects.  She also came home to a situation that was completely different from the one she left. The home she grew up in had been sold.  Her parents were no longer married.  Her brothers and sisters were traveling back and forth between her parents' homes and the list goes on.  There were many adjustments that she had to make and these were not of her own choosing, and they were hard.

I must say it was a true joy and blessing to have her with me.  She is very special to me. I remember all her growing up.  I remember her birth at the hospital during a snow storm in January and how we brought her home, wrapped her up like a burrito and put her on the kitchen table for minute or two to admire her. She was new life, a new spirit brought to earth, sent to us to care for and nurture.  I took that job very seriously and still do.

At the temple, I saw how my little girl had grown up to be such a beautiful young woman, the picture of a new bride, innocent and pure, dressed in white.

I was privileged to be a witness in the sealing room of the temple for the wedding.  I heard the words the sealer spoke.  They were full of love and spirit.  The significance of the words transcended this earth.  They were eternal in nature and incorporated the destiny of a husband and wife joined together as one beyond this life.  That is the true nature of the marriage relationship and the desire of God for all of us.  These blessings are contingent upon a couple keeping their promises to God and accepting him as the other most important partner in the new relationship.

I must admit that I couldn't hold back a few tears as the sealer spoke about how my patriarchal responsibility for my daughter was now being transferred to my daughter's new husband.  It was a strange but beautiful feeling.  I understand how a man or woman must leave their father and mother and become one in a new and everlasting covenant of marriage.  It is right and proper and a beautifully ordained path, and one that can and should lead to true fulfillment and happiness.

I couldn't help but to desire that blessing again in my own life.  I made the covenant before but it did not remain in force for reasons outside of my control.  I know that in the economy of God, that my blessings are intact because I have kept my covenant with Him and as long as I remain faithful, I will enjoy all the blessings.  I know that and I have hope in a "better country" to come. (Hebrews 11)  I do not doubt that the Lord is merciful.

It was a true blessing to witness the marriage of my daughter to her new husband.  It was good to hear the sacred words again and to know that my daughter and her partner have a true foundation and I have no doubt that they will be successful in this great new endeavor of love and commitment.  I am a truly a blessed father.

Upward and onward friends!  Let's cherish these moments in our lives, for they are rare and sacred.