Being the mother of the bride is a role filled with immense joy and a touch of nostalgia. As we approach the wedding day of our youngest daughter, I find myself reflecting on the culmination of years filled with love, growth, and cherished family memories.

As our family grew with each child, it wasn't just the number of us that changed; we evolved both individually and collectively. We shared life's experiences together—the wins and the losses, the mountaintop moments and the heartaches—and we did it all as a united family.

We will celebrate this wedding together, welcoming a new addition to our family. As we grow in number, the landscape of our family changes once more.

I have been the mother of the bride twice before, welcoming two wonderful sons-in-law and subsequently, grandchildren. But this time, it feels different. This is the last time I will be the mother of the bride, and this is the last of our children to leave home and begin living out their own life. While this wedding doesn’t signify a sudden shift, it highlights how much has changed. We no longer do everything together. It’s good, normal, and right, but it comes with growing pains—changing pains.

Our children have grown into beautiful human beings. We remain a close-knit family, supporting and being there for each other, but we no longer live our lives entirely together. In this transition, I have discovered that joy and sadness can coexist. While I mourn the loss of our family's constant togetherness, I celebrate the new ways we connect as my children pursue the plans and purposes God has designed for them.

I am aware that I am joining the ranks of countless mothers before me and certainly not the last. I share these thoughts partly as a way to process it all, but also in the hope that someone else may relate and know they are not alone.