Grandma and Grandpa came with us, and Coco and Bill stayed home due to Bill's recent ankle surgery. It was a small group, but inside the temple, we saw many familiar and beloved faces. One was Scott's cousin's wife, Lindsay. We had just seen her husband Skyler mowing lawns on our way to the temple! In addition to several friends and neighbors, the man Golda works for was in with us. His name is Jay, and his wife is in the advanced stages of Alzheimers. Golda takes care of her, and she has grown to love Jay and JoMarie in a very short time. So it was neat to have him there.
At the end, the sweet temple workers let Golda and me go in the Brides Room, where women get ready for their weddings. It's a beautiful room, full of light and mirrors and flowers. We both stood in front of the full length mirror and took in the moment. I told Golda that I was proud of her. That could not be more true. She is exceptional, and I can't tell you how grateful I am that she is our firstborn. She blazes a noble trail for the rest of the children to follow. Of course, they're all so perfect, any of them could have been the oldest, and I'll be proud of them no matter what they do. But I really feel that Golda has a sacred responsibility in our family as the oldest, and that's why she is. I know she feels it too, and is prepared and committed to being a light for her siblings.
This is a whole new chapter for Golda. She has taken on adulthood in full, and she is ready for Hong Kong. Scott and I just stand back and marvel. What I didn't realize when Golda was born, was that she was a fully-formed person, complete with her eternal nature intact, everything she would become and had been, packaged in that seven-pound body. And here she is now, a little further along in life, still the same little person, doing us proud, being Golda, and being beautiful in every way.
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