Musings by Mariane
Column by Mariane Holbrook

I watched you walking down the aisle, your father at your side,
So regal in your bearing, every inch the perfect bride.
My son, at full attention, was enraptured by the view;
He said he’d never seen a sight as beautiful as you.

‘Twas more than thirty years ago, my son still in the womb,
When I’d begin to picture what he’d look like as a groom.
I wondered if the girl he’d choose to be his bride someday
Had yet been born and did she live quite near or far away.

So I began to pray for you, a little girl somewhere
Who might be blonde and blue-eyed or have soft, dark, curly hair.
I prayed that God’s protective hand would cover your small frame
And early on that you’d be taught to pray in Jesus’ name.

And when my son first went to school, so little for his age,
I swelled with pride when he was chosen to appear onstage.
Performing as Tom Sawyer, he put on a stunning show.
Were you there in the audience and did you even know?

I wondered what you looked like when you entered junior high.
Were you outgoing and friendly or perhaps a little shy?
Were you a model student who worked hard to earn all A’s,
Yet showed such grace beyond your years, accepting teachers’ praise?

I prayed for you in high school when the boys would hang around
And if they made advances, then I hope you held your ground.
When you went on to college then my prayers still followed you
That your strong faith in Jesus Christ would somehow see you through.

I knew my prayers were answered when I saw you standing there;
Together with my son I felt you made the perfect pair.
I had no way of knowing you the years we were apart
But someday I would know you by your pure and loving heart.

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