Caylee’s Engaged!

Matt and I are so excited to announce that Caylee has found the love of her life, James Jurewicz! That is her favorite picture of the two of them above so I wanted to share it with you. Caylee is super excited to be engaged and planning her wedding. Mom is excited to help! This may be the last wedding I get to help plan unless I live until my granddaughters are wed. so let’s make it a party!

For those of you that know me, I bet you are fully aware we will have a really fun shindig (I use that word because it fits the picture.) I do wish that my mom could be there to watch her walk down the aisle, since she is gone we will honor her with a photo. As Caylee talks about all the things that she wants for her day, I remember the way I would talk and plan with my mom. Planning a wedding with your daughter is a special event so I hope every mom gets to do it.

James is a really neat young man. I couldn’t choose anyone better for Caylee if I spent her entire life looking. I’m an observer and I have been watching since she first brought James home. He kind and gentle and a great communicator. Like most young men though, he is a bit awkward with parents when he first is introduced. The first visit will go down in history for me though I will not share why. Since that first meeting last July, the two of them got closer and closer in the midst of our family falling apart. I can only imagine what he must have been thinking about us during all of that crazy. Still, he decided he wanted to be forever united to our clan and we are glad he did.

The best thing I’ve noticed that has come from their relationship is they both have grown in confidence in who they are separately and together. They compliment one another and where she lacks he is strong, where he lacks she is strong. That is both good and can be trying, I pray we can help lead them to see each other’s gifts rather than their lack. Doing life with your opposite is incredible in so many ways. Where Hubby and I are different is where we have the greatest opportunity to offer grace because we need that difference. If we were just alike, one of us would be unnecessary. James and Caylee will make a great team and I’m looking forward to seeing where life and God takes them.

God is so good. In the midst of chaos and pain, He sprinkles little drops of joy to revive our hearts. When I was in the hospital ten years ago, just off life support, I had no idea what was ahead. Those days seemed like the darkest days I could ever imagine. Last year topped that with days that felt like they would never end and my heart felt like it might explode. Life has calmed down and we have things to look forward to coming up. That is Who God is, He will never let us get so low that we can’t see His gifts if we are willing to look at them. Though this season has been one for the record books, the beauty that is coming out of it has been worth it. When I get to the place that I can say that about hard seasons I’ve walked through, then I know I am on the other side and God is doing His thing in me.

Caylee and James, we honor you two and look forward to your day. James, thank you for coming back and asking for our blessing and our daughter’s hand in marriage. She is special and you are a blessed man. Continue to lead your family in Bible study and prayer and humble yourself before God, He has given you a jewel.

“This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are untied into One.” Genesis 2:24 NLT