
If you love my kid, then I'm gonna love you. If you make him smile, then you're high on my list. And if you make his face beam and shine, then you've moved to the top.
This cold and frosty morning, Miles, the older of our two boys, hiked with a young lady up Sharptop Mountain in Pickens County, Georgia. Once on the summit, looking out on a grand vista that opens all the way to the skyscrapers gleaming in Downtown Atlanta, he dropped to one knee, pulled a ring from his pocket, and asked the lovely Kimberly Pritchett to marry him. From the looks of things, she said "YES!"
We've traveled this path with his younger brother, Cole, and his wife, Alecia, and what a journey it is. So many dreams, so many high hopes are coming true as they pass this holy moment and move toward becoming husband and wife. That relationship, we know, is so sacred that it is how Scripture describes Christ's relationship with the Church. We are His bride, bound intimately to Him for eternity.
We fell in love with Kimberly from the instant we met her. She's funny and faithful, has a million dollar smile, and she's a Double Dawg - two degrees from the University of Georgia! She loves Jesus and she adores our granddaughter Hazel (you've pretty much got the parents sewed up if you're kind to their grandkid!). She comes from a great family, one which has welcomed our son, and us, with open arms, and she is wise and gracious and compassionate. And, she really digs our son, and, as you can see, he is crazy about her!
In this moment, I stand amazed at the goodness and grace of God, at the wonder of His extravagance, first blessing my life with Regina and then with two incredible boys who have grown up to be extraordinary men. Then, to bring Alecia into our midst, and little Hazel as well, and now Kimberly. It's cliche, I know, but words do fall short, far short, of expressing what I'm feeling. A full heart just keeps getting filled all the more.
When Miles was a little boy, his favorite blessing was a little sing song that went like this,
Oh, the Lord's been good to me,
And so I thank the Lord.
For giving me the things I need:
The sun and the rain and the appleseed.
Oh, the Lord's been good to me!"
I'll bet he sings it tonight as his head hits the pillow. I know I will.
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