After months of looking for the right dress, sending out invitations, finding the right venue, arranging the flowers, and selecting just the right music…the time came when it was just Chloe and me, alone.
Moments before her wedding ceremony, when I would walk her down the aisle to begin her journey 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow,' we had a quiet moment, with just the two of us. I will never forget it.
Riding a bike at age six...competing in cheer competitions in junior high and high school...graduating from Ohio State...being sworn in as a new attorney...
Kim and I knew she was doing the right thing in marrying Cole, a great guy who is smart and a hard worker. He loves Chloe and treats her right, which is what all parents want for their daughter.
As Chloe continued to gaze at the scene outside, I scrambled to turn my cell phone back on so I could capture the moment. She turned to me with a smile as wide as I have ever seen on her and said, “This is sooooo much fun.”
It was showtime.
…
WHEN CHLOE WAS A little girl, there were two things in particular Kim and I would do as part of the bedtime ritual. After reading a book (all the way through, of course, without skipping any pages), we would take Chloe’s little left hand.
Borrowing a practice we had learned in church, we gave Chloe five affirmations for her five fingers. “You are smart, you are funny, you strive for your independence, you are kind, and you are friendly.” There were other qualities, but the general emphasis was for Chloe to feel secure in the person God created her to be.
The second thing we did after praying for everyone she knew and loved, we prayed for the health and wisdom of the young man who would one day become her husband. We of course had no idea who that was, but we knew he was out there, somewhere. God, watch over him.
In a way, this wedding had been planned for twenty-five years, but not because of where it would be or what it would look like.
It was about building respect.
…
CHLOE AND COLE ARE well-suited for each other in so many ways. They love boating on the lake, they love spending weekends at The Lively Lady campground near Ripley, Ohio, and they love their families.
But they are different in many ways, too, which only makes them more compatible. The question could be asked of everyone, “Do you want to be married to someone who is exactly like you are?” No way.
The reason their relationship works comes down to one word – and it is not love, compromise, or happiness. It comes down to the respect they have for one another, which is a recipe set forth in Ephesians 5.
They respect they way they are different, and respect the way they talk to one another. Respect is the key.
I am thrilled that Chloe and Cole got to enjoy such a magnificent wedding ceremony. But I am more pleased that they look forward to having a long and respectful marriage.
I want them to have the kind of marriage Kim and I do. I want them to have great kids like we have had, and enjoy every second of getting them to school and sitting in the stands for ball games.
And I want them to experience a moment thirty years from now like the one Kim and I experienced on the day Chloe and Cole said 'I do.'
Where there is a Magic Moment.
“This is soooooo much fun.”
