Bittersweet no longer, just beautiful....

The Glenwood girls had there Dance recital last week and I must say it was wonderful! Sometimes you wonder if it will all come together but in the end when their on stage performing they get it all together and it looks great.

My friend Suzanne and Dayna put together clips of the girls talking about themselves and who their Hero was. I cried when they talked about how strong their mothers were and how they looked up to them. I was tremendously proud of what these girls had overcome! To learn all the dances and just to get to practice for that matter was no small task. My heart swelled at how beautiful they looked and for the moms who were watching proudly.

But later my heart broke for them on the inside because of the fathers who weren't there. I know this quite well as my Dad for as long as I can remember has been an alcoholic who was living on the streets by the time I was a teenager and the streets are still his home today. I used to see Dad's with their baby daughters and think, "Wow how sweet is that", but deep down it was depressing. Bittersweet....

My Dad was not there to teach me how to relate to ANY man, guy friend or boy friend. As a young adolescent and adult I had a hard time having any healthy relationships and have always felt inadequate in forming friendships with guys other than my husband. "I mean, what do you talk about?"

I wonder if our girls feel the same way? Sometimes there are days when I wonder why God has me working were he does but it's times like these that I know why. I think about all that God has done in my life to restore these wounds and stand me back upright. You see for a long time I was bent over by the sins of another. But by the grace of God I can now look at Dad's with there children and see it for what it is, beauty beyond words. Beauty beyond words is what your giving your children.

So for the Dad's from our church who were at the recital supporting girls who aren't your own I just want to say thank you. You know who you are! And although for now it may be bittersweet for them, God is working through you to restore them. Never miss an opportunity to tell these girls how wonderful they are, you just might change their life!!!