Dear Daughter-in-Law

I danced with your husband today. I lead him around the dance floor to the sound of the waves. He laid his head on my shoulder, and I kissed his cheek. As I laid him in his crib, snuggled him in his little football blanket, and adjusted the volume on his sound machine, I thought of you.

And I thought of her, and how amazing it is that in this moment I know exactly what she felt- how her heart was going to explode and overflow when she danced with my husband forty years ago.

I don’t know your name. I don’t even know when you’ll be born, or if you already have been here on Earth a while. I don’t know what color your hair is, or what hue your eyes. I don’t know how you’ll meet him, or what it will be about you that draws him to you. But I’m praying for you. I have been for a while now, and I won’t be stopping until I’m no longer on this planet. Because you are the woman who is his heart. You are his wife. His helpmate created by God to be his completion- his “better half.”

I know how Sherry felt, but not completely, because I haven’t met you. I haven’t felt the catch in my throat as the whole church turns to watch the bride walk in, and I turn to do what I always do at weddings- to look at the groom, to see his expression the moment he first sees his Love. I haven’t seen my baby boy become that man at the altar. I am so thankful for the relationship I have with her, and for the man she raised, and I pray that you will feel the same.

I pray that one day, you too, will dance with your tiny little man, and snuggle him close, and understand the catch in my throat as I think about the day I will one day have to share his heart with you. Genesis 2:24 says that one day he will leave, and I know why and it’s ok. But I still feel that catch in my throat, and the hint of a tear in my eye when I think of how fast the days, weeks, months, and years will fly by.

And so I’m praying for you, that you will grow in God and have a strong faith. That you will be there for him when days at work are long and tiring. When there is very little money, and when there is surplus. I pray that you will be the friend he needs and that you’ll make him laugh as much as he brings you laughter. I pray that you will love him with the fiercest love available, and that your love will deepen over time. I pray that you will be the iron that sharpens him, and the pillow on which he can rest his weary head. I pray that you will be a godly mother for his children, and that when you suffer losses of any kind, you will grow stronger in your faith and in your marriage. And I pray that you will dance… That you will rest your head on his shoulder the way he rests his head on mine, and feel his strength and his comfort when you need him most.

I don’t know anything about you, but I know your husband. And I love him with my whole heart. He is one of the three greatest gifts God has given me, and I will treasure him always. And I’ll dance with him – as long as I can – until it’s time on that beautiful day to let go of his hand, and watch him dance with you. God bless you, sweet daughter-in-law, whoever and wherever you are.