An Uplifting Letter From My Sister

In response to my below post, my sister sent me the following email.  She wasn’t sure how to add it to my blog, so I told her I would add it here.  She has always known just what to say to make me feel better.  Indeed, the help she and my sister Trisha so lovingly provided to Jenna, along with their lovely daughters, added so much to the wedding and reception.  I will post more on the wedding as soon as we get the pictures back from the photographer.  Let me just say, it was everything that Jenna dreamed that it would be.

Dear "Mother-of-the-Bride,
I marvel as I watch Jenna prepare for her wedding.  She's a girl who does indeed know what she wants after all.  She has made her own decisions and is making this wedding a statement of the incredible young lady she has grown into. 
She didn't get there by herself, you know.  It was her mother who very carefully molded her into the beautiful soul that she is.  It was the delicate and devoted love and labor, the "lead by example", the ability to step back and be that "hidden" angel who has expected nothing in return for the million and one things you have done for her.  That was your part in this wedding, dear sister.  You did the hard part....now this is your chance to sit back and marvel at "a job  well done".  Enjoy the beauty of the moment and feel the pleasure of watching this precious young lady walk into a new life of love with the little package you have been preparing for the last 23 years, neatly tucked away in her heart. She will unfold that package each and every single day for the rest of her life...when it comes to decorating her house, her style may be different, but she will draw on her mother's ability to make a home "cozy".  When she entertains, she will draw upon her mother's warmth and hospitality, making each and every person that enters her home feel welcome.  When it comes to loving her husband, she will draw upon the same passion and devotion that she saw you give to Sonny through the years and she will know that when the "honeymoon" wears off and the real life begins and at times feels difficult, that its the stamina and ability to ride the storm that she so often watched her mother do, that will get her through the tough times.  She will know how to balance work and home with time management skills that only a loving mother can do, because there will be years when it would be impossible to "do it all" without that super power in the depth of a mother's soul that develops from shear love and devotion. 
Okay, I'm not sure if she will ever be able to fold laundry like you...who could?!  There are so many things about filling your shoes that will be difficult to attain.  I know.....believe me, as your younger sister, I have tried...always.  I have learned to take all the special qualities of you that I admired and make them my own.  You taught me so many things that I never could have been without your guidance...
Yes, Jenna is doing this wedding her way.  But you gave her the priceless gift of "independence" and because of that, she has the ability to plan a wedding and walk into a whole new life of happiness.  She's doing a "breast cancer" theme because you taught her that its not "all about her" and shared with her your incredible unselfishness and the ability to give to others in a unbelievable way.
My prayer for you is that you are able to sit back and ENJOY THE MOMENT and relish in A JOB WELL DONE and savor the beauty and wonder of this precious girl growing up.  This is not losing a daughter, but gaining the joy of watching her develop a new life of her own. 
And thereafter.... I pray that you welcome every new day as a fresh beginning in God's grace and allow your own world to be made new.
You and Jenna are so, so, dear to me!!!!  What a pleasure it is for me to share in this most special event.
Love you, SisterBrendy,
Jeannie