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She took our breath away, our firstborn daughter on her recent wedding day, with a beauty penetrating far beyond the exterior.
So many thoughts converge in such times. It’s never just about a day, but all the days and moments in between.
The life reveal began 25 years ago with some nausea. With our 1-year-old son clinging tightly to my legs to steady himself, I stared intently at the pregnancy test. Positive.
Contributed / Roxane B. Salonen
We’d recently learned a method of fertility awareness aligning with our faith. Along with freeing our consciences, we were freed of devices, pills and financial expense as we learned more about the female body and its incredible, life-bearing capacity.
But the old mindset quickly returned at the positive result so soon. Had we done something wrong? My husband’s embrace at the news quickly set my mind and heart aright.
Natural Family Planning, a science-based approach involving observation of the body’s fertile periods, opened us to possibilities beyond our own perceived limitations, fostered more communication and brought God more fully into our family’s creation.
It assumes the married couple has prepared itself in advance to welcome children into its circle of permanency and irreplaceability, giving any child that might be conceived a safe place in which to grow and experience life in all its joys and sorrows.
Our little bride was the first fruit of our NFP journey. After the initial surprise, we delighted in knowing we’d be adding a daughter to our trio. At her arrival, as the birthing nurse placed her in the warmer, I was seized by her beauty already. Yes, even in those first moments when—as my Dad used to tease, we are still “all pink and wrinkly”—she captivated.
Our priest was nearby that autumn day, waiting with a welcome blessing and song, “The Canticle of the Sun.” And now, she is the first of our five to marry, with a kind, handsome groom at her side. We pray God’s blessings and a growing awareness of his love on them both.
The evening before her wedding, she handed out personalized gifts for her special people, along with handwritten letters of why we matter to her. The next day, she stunned us all with her grace as she moved about, her long-formed plans unfolding before our eyes.
Life is messy. No one escapes suffering. She’s had her share, as we all have. But there are some moments when you need to pause and acknowledge the blessings.
Her wedding day was a day to reflect back to the beginning: to the pregnancy test announcing a new, unexpected life; to my momentary question of whether we’d followed instructions carefully enough; to, now, knowing with certainty we’d done everything perfectly right.
Thank you, Lord, for this beautiful life. This daughter, and all our children, are pure, priceless gifts from your hands. We forget sometimes, but your blueprint for life, and love, is always above and beyond what ours could ever be. Glory to you, our heavenly Father!
Salonen, a wife and mother of five, works as a freelance writer and speaker in Fargo. Email her at [email protected], and find more of her work at Peace Garden Passage,
roxanesalonen.com
This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Forum’s editorial board nor Forum ownership.
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