Twenty days.

In twenty days, I will walk my beautiful daughter, Abigail, down the aisle.  This will be Kristin and I’s last wedding as parents of the bride or groom.  It has been a day that I have been excited about for many years.

Abigail was given the nickname “Blue” after I came home after a church softball game and she met me at the door.  She was two and half years old with those wild curls and big eyes.  So energetic and so full of life.  She had a way of making me smile back then.

Her rise to teen years brought forth a personality and style that was all her own.  Her siblings may have sung on stage but Abby was a show stopper.  She was bold and strong.  She played Snoopy in a play and just had a way of drawing everyone into her role.  She played basketball and tried new things. She was unafraid and made others around her bolder to try new things.  She had a way of making me smile back then.

Something amazing happened as Abby got older. She stopped being the center of attention and began to really love doing things behind the scenes.  She led small groups, she served in ministries “out of the limelight,” and she impacted lives.  I am amazed at how many people still come up to me and say, “There is something about Abby…”  She had a way of making me smile back then.

Abby took young adulthood by storm.  She did the things she felt led to do.  She nannied for three families – she loved other people’s children like they were her own.  She served at a summer camp for a  summer and made lasting friends for life.  She traveled and did things that would sound amazing.  She became “family” with the New York Yankees security guys and got to lead a bible study for the player’s wives.  I would hear stories like that and it would make me smile.

She came home to Tampa.  She became a personal trainer, started her own nanny business, became a realtor, got engaged to a tremendous guy and is preparing for marriage.  She is strong, determined and still loves people.  Watching her blossom made me smile.

I woke up this morning praying for Abby and her fiance.  Twenty days…she will be his wife.  She is entering into the newest chapters of her life.  She is ready for this.  She is beautiful, strong and going to impact a lot of people in years to come.

She will always make me smile.