You may ask “What in the world would a Mother’s toast to her son and daughter-in-law be doing in a blog post on a health and wellness website?” Well, me being that Mother, and also your 3-part Wellness Coach and Hope Dealer, I figure not only does this give you an opportunity to get to know me a little better and what I am about, but healthy relationships are very much a part of a persons wellness. I can’t imagine that there is anyone that couldn’t gain some insight and some hope for their relationships, be it with their children or significant others, from the components contained in the following toast speech. While I was offering this toast, flashes of scenes of me raising my son were going through my mind. And so to stand in front of him, knowing that all I had worked and prayed so hard to do as his Mom was coming to fruition, was extremely emotional (in a very positive way). And I want Mothers raising challenging kids to gain hope and encouragement from my experience.
Here it is:
Thank you all, for your outpouring of Love on Logan and Nicole. What an emotional evening. I am so happy and full of Joy. I am the Mother of the Groom, and to watch my son be married in the house of God that he was born and raised in, to an absolutely wonderful young lady that I truly adore, overwhelms my heart. There are so many qualities to admire and adore about Nicole, and one of those is meekness. Matthew 5:5 says “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” Well, to be meek is to be humbly patient. Gentle, kind. Forbearing, uncomplaining and calm. God was thinking about Logan when He created Nicole. Meekness is one of the greatest strengths there is. And while there are many interpretations of what it means to inherit the earth, in tonight’s context that inheritance is to know the fullness of love and companionship, and to know friendship based on love and respect. Sherri, you did an incredible job raising her. Jim and Ruth, your love for her and your influence in her life and your love for Jesus helped shape who she is, and I am so thankful to all of you for assisting God in preparing a virtuous woman for my son.
And speaking of my son….. LITERALLY BORN 30 MINUTES FROM THE TIME STAMP ON THE HOSPITAL PARKING TICKET, he kept us on our toes! Challenging our patience, testing our consistency, he was quite the handful. Never a dull moment! From blowing out the candle inside the furnace on a cold wintery day, taking us hours to get the pilot light relit, to falling through our glass kitchen table and shattering it, and to ramping a dirt pile at 7 years old and crashing his dirt bike literally within the first 3 seconds of sitting on it. But I knew when his first hockey fight was with a girl, I was going to have my work cut out for me! From a very young child up and through his years growing up, something I said to him every time I was disciplining or teaching him, I always said “I am raising you to be a good husband”! Well, Logan, it’s go time!
Another challenge we had was school. Getting him to go, getting him to stay there. Everyday I said to him..”Be good, do good, stay positive”.
All of the aforementioned shenanigans, though, were all the signs of what was to come from him as a man. A Strong, Independent, Passionate Leader, always working harder for better. A young man who respects woman, stands up for others, is kind, holds firm to his convictions, and goes against the grain when it isn’t popular-but is what’s right,
And now for the advice part…. Often these speech toasts get a little cliché-ish using the scripture to “never let the sun go down on your wrath”, never go to bed angry. Your dad and I were told this many times leading up to our wedding day 30 years ago and we tried to make that promise. As hard as we may have tried, many, many times we went to bed angry. And while we made many promises to each other, I hope the 2 of you will make the one I believe was the most important one we made, and never wavered on. And that was that our family would go to church. Every Sunday without fail. We nurtured our spiritual growth and love for Jesus, which kept us nurturing our love for one another. If you truly are a household of faith, and love Jesus first, there is no question that your love and your family will weather the storms. Serve God and serve Him fiercely! Don’t forget about Him in the good times and then expect Him to serve you when you need Him. Whatever you do, don’t forget to praise Him.
And now, if everyone will raise your drinks in toast……
Logan and Nicole, May Jesus be the unseen guest at your table and the silent listener of every conversation.
May you Be fruitful and multiply.
And may you always Be good, do good, and stay positive.
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