On Saturday, our youngest daughter, Melissa, will marry Cameron at our church in Mandeville. When the Lord called us from our native state of Texas in the spring of 1994, little did Gayla and I know that we would be investing our lives in this community and in Mandeville’s First Baptist Church.
With Cameron and Melissa’s wedding, we have been blessed to have all four of children marry spouses who come from families with a godly heritage. Gayla and I instilled in our children biblical principles ever since childhood, and we continued to teach them God’s truth in every area of their living. Today, we serve as mentors to KeriBeth and Phillip, Kendal and Colin, Travis and Rebekah, and now to Melissa and Cameron. God has blessed us even more with KeriBeth and Phillip’s two sons, Barrett and Brennan. (Wow! Can they light up our lives!) I’m not sure how I will fair as the “father of the bride” and “preacher” for the last time, but I know that I will be a pile of emotions.
Gayla and I have not fully come to understand exactly how the “empty nest” life will be. Part of me believes it will great, and another part of me longs for the days when we had all four of the kids home with the hectic schedules of school, sports, and family life. One thing I know that won’t go away — the wonderful gatherings of with the family — all of us. I know that we’ll have some great holiday times together, vacation trips, Sunday dinners after church, backyard water fights, trips to the baseball field, and on and on. What a minute! This sounds like a lot more of the same that Gayla and I have enjoyed for a long time! Only with more people! Praise the Lord!
