Mother of the groom
Contrary to what Dawson may have led you to believe, he did not raise himself. And while you all know adult Dawson in a way we do not, I’m here to give a quick glimpse of your ‘ Lone Wolf’ as a child.
Dawson was our first born child. And because of that we say often that we had 0 days of confident parenting. From day one, he did not fit into any box, any pattern…we could not find commonality in any of the child-rearing books. I remember consulting my Mom’s groups when he was a toddler, “When will he start wanting to please us?” That did not appear to be something that he was interested in.
He was paving his own path in his own way. When all the kids were little and would file into church behind Dawson like stairsteps, the greeter would say “Hi, Dawson!”. To which he would say, “Don’t say Hi to Me!”
When we first met Sarah, we told her this story and she said, “Yeah, he still does that.”
When he was 8 or 9, I got a Mother’s Day card that said, “Mom. Everyone says their Mom is the best. Those people are stupid heads. Love, Dawson.”
But it was not too long after that I would return to those Moms groups with the questions now being , “How do you parent someone who is a better person than you?’
With a deep maturity, a sharp conscience and a strong internal compass, he was growing into the man we had prayed for. Picked during our pregnancy, we prayed from Hebrews 11 that this baby would be a “man of whom the world was not worthy.” And Dawson, now: May the sacrificial love and service of your wife, family, and community continue to cement what God has already begun in your life.
Last weekend, we flew to Memphis to help my Grandfather lay to rest my Grandma, his wife of 72 years. At the end of the memorial, my Dad looked at his 92 year old Dad and said,“ You are such a smart man to have chosen her.”
And so we borrow those words today. On day one of what could be your 72 years:
“You are such a smart man to have chosen her.”
And someday it will be your children who thank you. Thank you for choosing her. Thank you for choosing him. Thank you for loving each other and sticking with each other.
Sarah. We stopped trying to predict Dawson’s next steps a long time ago. And we knew that the girl who would ultimately steal his heart would be no different. And it’s true. You are immeasurably more than we could have ever asked or imagined for Dawson. We are beyond impressed with your maturity, grace, and gentleness. We look forward to loving you and championing you both for as long as God gives us. And if you ever get a card that says something like, “Everyone thinks their wife is the best…” You can know that I think that means he loves you very much.
And to the rest of you. We have so enjoyed getting a peek into the community these two have built for themselves here. Thank you for loving them and building into them and challenging them and growing them and showing up for them. If we could encourage you two any way, continue to invest in community and friendship. It will carry you through. Thank you for modeling it so beautifully this weekend.
Dawson, you tore our hearts wide open and taught us how to be parents. Thank you for your patience as we wobbled through it. We can say with full confidence that you have what it takes to love and serve Sarah and your family for all the days. We simply could not be any prouder of you than we are right now. Bearing witness to your becoming has truly been our greatest honor.