From a young age, I always wanted a large family – four
children, three boys and one girl, check. I wanted to build a house on our
family farm, check; and I wanted to be the first woman governor of Georgia - a title
still up for grabs. In all my planning and dreaming of my future, I never knew
just how perfectly my first additional daughter would be.
God knew I would thrive better as a mother to multiple boys
than several girls. I was more of a tomboy myself, growing up loving camping
and the outdoors, and I certainly manage scrapes and cuts better than curls and
make-up. Sophia was a complex mix of tomboy meets princess as she could quickly
shimmy up a tree with her brothers in a cute dress and pigtails.
While all my children had their share of mishaps, Daniel stretched
the job description of being the mother to an adventurous boy. After stitches
on his face twice before he was five, and multiple trips to the ER at a young
age, I knew to ramp up the prayers for his wife. If truth be told, I prayed for her almost as
much as I prayed for him. The prayers seemed to naturally flow from “keep
Daniel safe” to “bless the amazing woman who will marry him one day!”
And wow, did those prayers pay off! While cliff jumping into
a lake in the summer of 2016, Megan caught Daniel’s eye, and he has been
smitten ever since.
Not only is Megan beautiful, smart, and athletic, she is a
motorcycle riding, wilderness camping, attorney for the United States Air
Force. And the greatest thing is that she loves Daniel with her whole heart and
blends beautifully into the family.
After the death of Sophia, my heart ached – and still does –
for those missed opportunities I will never have with her. However, the void
has been eased by the things I have done and will be able to do with Megan.
Megan and her mom were so gracious to invite me on the
wedding dress hunt around Atlanta. Tears filled my eyes at the beauty that
radiated when she tried on the dresses. She had said “yes” to Daniel and would
soon be a part of the family. I was determined not to allow what would never be
with Sophia to take away from the beautiful day that unfolded.
“Like arrows in the hand of a mighty man; so are the
children of youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.” Psalm
127:4-5
Megan can never take the place of Sophia, nor would she try,
but her sweet texts warm my heart. It gives me much delight to hear her say,
“Mama” in her southern accent when she’s calling for me. Her embrace gives me
comfort, and she speaks the words “I love you” to me with sincerity.
My quiver was full when I had my four precious children, I
felt like I “misplaced” an arrow, but now my quiver fills as a year ago I
gained another daughter to love.
