"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Friday, March 19, 2010

A Very Proud Dad

Ashley & Her Very Proud Dad!
Donald Binkley & His Very Proud Dad-in-Law (soon)
Well, the rehearsal and the "pre-game" meal are done. Both went off without a hitch. No problems were encountered. We had a great time getting together with family and friends as we celebrated the marriage of Ashley and Donald tomorrow afternoon at 5:00. My Ashley is less than 24 hours from changing her last name from mine to that of her husband to be. She seemed anxious to get all of this preliminary stuff over with, but the smile and laughter of my little girl were still there. I was honored to have my wife, Kiki, on my arm -- my daughter, Morgan celebrating with us -- and my step children, Gerrit and Hanna, all dressed up and proud to be a part of the main event! I was an extra proud man tonight!
Tomorrow will be a special day for a lot of reasons and I plan to write about that later. On the eve of her marriage, I can think of no greater tribute to my daughter than to make sure she knows how much I love and respect the man she is about to marry. Donald Binkley is a very fine young man. He is going to be my son-in-law. However, I would have been blessed to have a son like him. I have no doubt that he will take care of Ashley through the good and bad times in life. I know that he will be there through the thick and thin moments. I'm certain that he loves her with all of his heart ..... and, I've seen his heart.
Donald asked me for permission to ask Ashley to marry him on the day of my Mom's funeral back on April 20, 2008. We went back to my folks' home after the service. I was sitting in the living room alone reflecting on the events of the days that surrounded her death. Donald came into the room and sat down with me. I'm certain that I'm paraphrasing here -- he told me that he would be honored to be a part of our family and that he wanted my blessing before he asked Ashley to marry him. Of course I told him that I approved. On that day when we celebrated the life of my mom, I also celebrated the fact that my little girl had found a good man. This good man will stand true to his promise -- of this, I am sure!
A father's dream is to make sure that his children are safe, happy, and loved. I know that I did my part to take care of most of these things during the time that God entrusted Ashley to me. I was blessed to be part of shaping her into the wonderful person she is today. There is no doubt that she learned much good from me and she also learned from my many mistakes. Now, I am able to pass along that duty to a truly wonderful man. Nevertheless, she will still be my little girl and I am so very proud of her! Ashley and Donald have a bright future ahead and I look forward to being a part of their lives for many years to come.
I love you, Ash & Donald!
Under HIS Grace...
Dad

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