Such a rarity....

Today was a good day!  We celebrated the union of marriage between our friend/babysitter Heather Miller and her (now) hubby Lonnie Schmidt and we saw a precious new life...my new niece, Kimberly Grace Morris.  I think A LOT of Heather...I loved her as a middle schooler in my Middle School Bible Studies..I loved her when she started babysitting for us when Emily was a baby and I love her and wish her worlds of happiness in her new venture as a wife.  She has been babysitting for us now for 8 years!  She is the type of babysitter that I leave my children with and have no worries.  Its like having a younger sister that just knows you..knows when you would want to be called...knows when you don't mind letting the baby cry, etc.  She knew my house, knew my kids, and knew what to do....And I actually think she really loved my kids.  She seemed to always enjoy them.  She seemed to really like being around them.  Heather is quiet...doesn't say much.  She is poised, graceful, gifted, sweet, and polite.  Maybe she was being nice, but she told me once that if she had not have had a niece of her own, Emily would have been her flower girl.  She loved the things that J.D. would say to her when babysitting and it made me feel good today when her husband, whom I've never met (because he lives in Montana), said "Oh, your baby Molly's mom."  Anyways, Heather is a very beautiful young woman on the inside as well as on the outside (I must say she was rockin it in that mermaid gown today...she has the perfect figure for such a gown!).  It has taken me quite some time to get to know her even though I have known her for a very long time.  She is kind of like a flower that buds very slowly...there is a sense of honesty, confidence, elegance, and dignity about her.  Can you tell I really respect her?  There is a book that a good friend of mine gave Emily called (I think)..The Princess Kiss.  It tells about a treasure...a kiss...that the parents give the princess when she is born and she is not to give it to anyone unless they are worthy...you get the picture...Well today, I saw Heather as that Princess...it seemed as if she could be in that book. 

I have to admit that when I was younger and an early twenty something myself, I thought the Miller family was a little strange....they homeschooled, Mrs. Miller was a spunky lady and not afraid to speak and they just seemed different....but they produced a wonderful young lady in my opinion.  I know Heather has a great relationship with her Dad.  I would often see them out having lunch together...just the two of them..I didn't understand that then but now I do.  She has lived with her parents until now except when she went away to school for a semester or so.  Tomorrow she leaves on her honeymoon and then moves to Montana with the love of her life.  I got to speak with her candidly about some personal things...she was asking my opinion because I was a nurse/friend/etc...although she did not come out and say it in so many words...I got from our conversation that she and her future husband were virgins...such a rarity in this day (yes, I sound like an old woman) and I believe that it is also such a rarity in the "christian" cirlces as well.

O.K....so the next part of my post is a little PG rated...not for the weak in the stomach type or those that don't want to hear/read me talk about sex...ie my dad :)

Yes, John and I were virgins when we got married.  We dated for 5 long years before we tied the knot and we had plenty of time to "get busy" but didn't...We came home from school together to empty houses...I lived by myself for over a year an half...we went on trips together...I lived in our first home by myself for 4 months before our wedding.. so no one can say it was because our watchful parents were looking over us 24/7.  I have had MANY people ask me how and why we waited...I had a crowd of four nurses at work one day standing around me in disbelief after I mentioned that I had never been with anyone else...after they sat there bashing their husbands and their sex life for 30 minutes.  I know, I know...even marriages where people waited and have been faithful fail but I will attest to this....I have never been so proud, grateful, and thankful for waiting until my wedding night.  I am so thankful that my Mom told me that God said in the Bible to wait and that is what you should do....I am a rule follower so I guess the fear of my parents, fear of failure and fear of God is what made me NOT cross that line....not saying that I didn't want to.  We were two young teenagers in love, full of passion, and very attracted to each other...but we just didn't go there for whatever reason.  I have no idea what it would be like to be with another man and I am so happy about that.  Now...I guess it seems like I am bragging a bit...but I will without a doubt tell my daughters about my relationship with their Daddy and show them in the Bible what it says...
I truly believe that God has blessed John and I and our sex life because we waited.  I cannot tell you how special that gift was...without going into the details...it is something I treasure (and could cry about at the drop of a hat) to this day....John and I do not fight about sex..we love to have each others company...I still look at my husband with love and passion...and still want to be with him.  I believe God blessed us with three easy conceptions even though we were not suppose to be able to get pregnant easily because we waited.  We learned about each other together, we learned about sex together, we have a bond and something that we have shared that no one else on this earth knows about either of us.  I can't really put into words what I mean but that book "The princess Kiss" captures it....it is a gift!  And can you tell I am slightly the romantic, fairytale type?!?!?!

There is much more I could say about this subject...In my profession I see some very sad things.  I see girls giving their gift away to so many loosers when they haven't waited for their prince.  I use to live in a fairytale and believed that God made each of us a special person that we are suppose to marry but I know that there are probably many people on this earth that we can be compatible with....but saving yourself until marriage...well it really is a rarity that not many people seem to care about anymore.  I am serious when I say that I will talk to my daughters...I will tell them about their Daddy and me and tell them about special people like Miss. Heather and I will also show them pictures of genital warts and tell them about the green frothy smelly discharge I've seen coming from women with STDs and how a man/boy doesn't want to get to know you, love you, or put time into anything that he can get at the drop of a hat...I aint playing....I think it is so important and something that I want my girls to take very seriously! 

As I watched Heather walk down the aisle today....I was sooooo excited for her!  The anticipation and love in her groom's eyes...the realization that they get to finally be with one another.  I was excited that she will get to share her gift with an amazing man and have that special bond with him and only him!  I was so excited that she got to be the princess and she truly looked like she could have been in a fairlytale story book!  My friend (who has three girls) and I sat at the reception and watched as Heather and Lonnie had their first dance....we were both thinking and then said to one another..."How do you raise a daughter like that?"  Well hopefully we can and will....by the Grace of God!