Dear Kelsey

One week has passed since that joyous moment you when became Mrs. Lehman! 

You were such a beautiful bride! Your loveliness filled the room. Watching Alex's  face as he saw you walking down the aisle on your brother's arm was truly a sacred moment. Such love! I will never forget it! 

As you promised your love and devotion to each other and worshipped God together, I thanked God that He brought you into our son's life and into our lives. You are a precious gift- a pearl that we have prayed for since Alex was very young. 

As I watched you become our son's wife, I felt so proud. You are a very special woman. You have been through so much over these past four years, and through it all, we have seen you lean into Jesus. You love the Lord and that is the most precious thing about you. Your faith is strong, your hope is humbling, and your perseverance is inspiring. We thank God that we have the privilege to welcome you into our family. For many years, I have been the central woman in Alex's life, but I have handed that over to you with great confidence. I feel such peace and great joy now that he has you as his wife. You are a Godly wife and he is blessed. We are blessed. 

I want you to know that I don't expect you to be perfect because there is really only One who is perfect. He is the One who will be the center of your marriage. He will be with you every step of the way, creating the marriage that He has for you. There will be good times and bad times, but I/we will be here to cheer you on and pray for you. We love you both and we want to see you succeed! Please forgive me in advance and give me grace for my shortcomings and failures, because it's hard being a mom, and I will make mistakes. Let's make a promise to always say we are sorry if we need to and to trust God for His strength if conflict should arise.

You know that old mother-in-law stigma? The one where our relationship is supposed to be filled with strife? Let’s kick that to the curb! We have common ground, because we both love Alex, and we both love the Lord. Family dynamics can be tricky. Communication can get jumbled, people can get their feelings hurt, and things can get messy. Let's always assume the best in each other, have a spirit of forgiveness, and love each other well. 

You are a member of our family now. The moment that Alex kissed you for the first time as Mrs. Lehman, my love for you grew exponentially. You have a whole bunch of new family members who love you and care about you. I know that our house can be crazy and overwhelming at times, but I hope that you will always feel accepted, loved, and welcomed. 

Welcome to our family Mrs. Lehman..,

Love,

Melissa/Mom