Why we let her marry a guy with no job..

On this day we gave our daughter to this guy, John Lewis Porter.

See below:

He is not perfect, he doesn't have a job, he's still in school..

but when he asked for Taylor's hand we said yes because with a help meet we pray that God will use her to help him accomplish all the Lord wants to accomplish in John's life.

We have raised her to be a helpmeet not a "kept" meet.

So she needs to be walking along side of him; cooking him great meals and keeping the home fires burning as he finishes up school.

I pray she blesses his socks off. 

  

The tiny gift delivered to us on that day in April. Everyone telling me to enjoy her while she is young, the thumb sucking, rabbit carrying, blonde haired baby doll that changed us forever.

She was and is strong willed.

I know I never told y'all.... She was my to date biggest parenting challenge.

 I can say that now since she is happily married:)

Smart and determined. 

I grew up different. I was insecure and my father was not involved in my life.

So raising a very secure, smart, beautiful, God fearing daughter came with many "moments".

We spent hours cooking, talking, singing and dancing in my tiny kitchen here on the farm.

I knew one day that my kitchen would not hold her anymore and she would have her own kitchen to build memories in and her own suds in her sinks and I thought surely I would be prepared.. and in the end I am prepared but it's a process of letting go.
There is a Taylor void in my home. My little girls dealing with their sister being gone.
Right now we're in "do the next thing" mode.
 We're surviving with lots of phone calls and text and an early morning Sunday text that said

 " I miss you, can we meet in the middle?"

and we drove to the middle and I breathed her in and loved on her and

assured her...she assured me.

and we drove home me thinking all along that she would be getting back in the car with us

but remembering she would go with John. I forgot.

The little girls thinking she was coming home now.

Just yesterday Josie packed a bag and said I'm moving to Auburn.

I understand I said..I'll miss you and she laid her head on my shoulder and said I miss Tay-tay.

Fight back tears.

I know baby I miss Tay-tay, too.

What do you say we go cook in that big ole kitchen of ours?

So she laid her backpack on her bed for the time being and we cooked all day long.  

Her wedding was beautiful. Charming and very family focused just like Taylor and John.

Yes, she is young and he is too and that makes it all the more beautiful.

Why not marry young?

 Go through the cycle of life with the person you will spend the rest of your life with.

It is not good for man to be alone God said it and we need, in my opinion, to apply it more these days.

So many older people saying why are you getting married so young? Live your life..have fun.

I always taught her to give her life..and she did. The one life she has on this earth she gave

to John and I'm so happy she chose to give. 

 The weekend went by in a blur. But we couldn't have done it without help from my best friend Anna and Carl and Leah and the Butler family. Our friends who stayed until every last decoration was up and stayed until 1:30 in the morning until every last decoration was down. There are no words for friends who stayed with us every step of the way to make sure we didn't forget anything or if we did would go get it for us. 

They didn't leave.. thank y'all so much<3 nbsp="" p="">

 My sweet hubby took off from work to help with every little detail even though

he's not a detail guy.

 He's amazing and I appreciate his strong arms as we make this

transition.  

 there were tears.. not because I'm un-happy because change is change

Change is good sometimes but it's also very hard.

This young man was my rock. I'm so thankful he is calm and easy going because I would get stressed and he would say, "mom it's ok." I love you Tucker...You are an amazing son and brother. I'm thankful for you.

Thanks to this group of young ladies who helped make her day very special.

Y'all were so much fun.. 

 Dancing with the two men in her life.

 praying over John and Taylor

first kiss

Like children marriage is a gift and we are giving praise to The Lord

for Taylor and John's marriage.

Oct 26,2013

The weekend in pictures

Yield gently

I can't help but miss this space. The place that reminds me to be intentional.

The everyday place where I put fingers to keys and hope that I do the day justice.

I have had very little time or motivation to be here lately. Maybe it's her leaving or maybe

it's because my world is changing so much and I'm trying to shift through and make a new start.

Either way I'm here.. 

We took a trip to a local apple orchard and learned all things apples and all things bees.

The boys seemed to like the fried apple pies the best and the girls loved painting pumpkins. 

I cherish these times off the farm when we get to catch up with old friends and learn something new.

 As the girls get older I'm trying to teach them to yield gently.
I did our bible study on how sometimes yielding to others can still be ugly if we do it all wrong.
 I explained to them how when you yield to oncoming traffic you do it very carefully and  intentionally and we have to yield gently when we are dealing with others. Just because you let someone go first or give them the biggest piece of cake if your attitude is one of anger and frustration you might as well consider the state of your heart as being a big wreck.

We all get frustrated and want our way but yielding gently is intentionally letting God be glorified first and then others and lastly yourself. Hard Stuff to learn for me but as I gently weave the threads of my love through their everyday I want it to be just a part of them. So I keep on sewing this into the fabric of their very soul and their every day.  

2 Timothy 2:24 says, "The servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gently unto all men, apt to teach, patient..." Kind hearted is what I pray for them..Putting away their self and always searching for ways to bless and encourage others.This does not happen everyday at my house I assure you, but as we practice, learn and pray I see this yielding gently more and more.

 The growing up is going on over this way. The air is cooler and the tree is losing her leaves.

Fall

My favorite time of the year. 

I'm helping her pack her bedroom up and putting stuff in boxes and I'm practicing what I preach about 

yielding gently, letting her slowly push past me and resisting the urge to hold her back. 

But instead looking forward to her future with her new husband and the exciting journey of togetherness.

Yes, this is hard, in case you're wondering.

Tears are abounding around here. Pictures that have followed her around this house as she

has changed bedrooms are coming off the wall. Her 20+ years of stuff being crammed in the back

of his car for their new home. Brothers and sisters feeling the breeze of change and looking to me for reassurance. Most days I can reassure and some days we just cry.

Cullen is a sympathetic crier and in case you don't have one of those let me explain the beauty of having one of these special people in your home.

You're watching a movie and you cry and he will say "mama, don't cry" to which I say

"Cullen, it's just a movie" and bam just like that he's crying with you.

Taylor has been crying tears of growing pains lately and Cullen will be sitting across from her with

big fat tears sliding down his face.

He cries with you and it doesn't matter the reason. Happy, Sad, movie, hurt..He's just there with

you body, soul and tears..I wish more people could be like Cullen.  

 I have finally realized that all the years of training Taylor are for this.

The moving on.

 The marriage.

The leaving. 

 I trained her then so that she could do now.

Psalm 145:4 says, "One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts."  

Yes, training is hard work when you have lots of littles but remember you are not just training them for this day but for the future. Your influence is powerful and far-reaching. They, just like Taylor,

will leave one day and I pray that we are diligent in their training and the

 next generation will Praise Him.   

That's what it's all really about in the end. 

Praising The Lord and having our children tell their children.

Love from the Farm

House of the Lord forever

For all of my Kat Porter fans out there, you'll love this one.

Whispering my goodbyes to the wind

My thoughts cannot be put to words.

My once very predictable life has now become one of many changes and, to be honest, lots of tears.

I know that marriage is a beautiful and wonderful gift but letting go of my first born

is like opening a flood gate. It helps me understand my mom a little more.

On the day my brother went into basic training I remember her tears and I also remember the hour drive to where he was doing basic training and she would park us there under a big tree and she would get out and just stand looking at the enormous building that surrounded us and separated her from her first born son. I didn't understand when the wind was cold and the tears were many and yet somehow just being close to where he was comforted her. I knew we weren't supposed to be there but I understand now the need to hold on and the reason we went.

To say goodbye if only whispered in the wind.    

I'm not only whispering goodbye in the wind to just Taylor but also to my oldest son Tucker.

He graduated this year and became an Eagle Scout. He currently has three jobs and so my time with him is different. I'm so proud of the young man he has become and I'm so thankful that he is a light in a dark world. He is such a generous son and the best big brother.

   

I wish I could remind myself that I have no regrets. I have spent hours training them and preparing them for the world but it's still sobering as a mother to work yourself out of a job. 

 Our household has been busy preparing for a wedding and praying for guidance as I continue to train up the little girls still in my charge.

Johns name has been affectionately changed to Bubba and when he spends hours living up to that name I know he is truly a special guy and a wonderful addition to our family.  

In the middle of change why not start more change?

Like a photography business.

Yep, that's what we did- started a crazy exciting adventure that I absolutely love.

Tucker works along side of me as well as Taylor and John so its been lots of fun and lots of hard work.



Channie-Mae is growing up so very fast and her spirit is so helpful and loving.

She is my main model for new locations and new ideas. I don't believe she knows that Taylor will be moving to Auburn and leaving behind the bed they share in their room. That small space is going to get bigger and well Channie just hasn't realized it yet. She and Taylor have always been super close and her world is about to change. I'm sure we will drive to Auburn and get out and whisper our good-byes many times before it sticks. 

   

 Cooper bought himself a camera and spends lots of time learning how to edit. He sets up our stuff on shoots and is learning to take over Tuckers jobs.

See I told you we were changing. 

  

We are still swimming at Aunt Anna's pool this summer and although my two oldest are not with us we must move forward and do the next thing. Having fun is definitely our next thing.

  

The Farm had baby pigs and Rosebud is doing well.

We got a new puppy named Bella. She is full blooded German Shepherd and we absolutely love her.

She is being raised in the house and well, she is the sweetest dog ever.

We found out that Joe has a rare eye condition and is considered legally blind. His mother in Africa

had an eye condition but it was very noticeable and so I thought Joe didn't have it since his eyes didn't cross. I was wrong. Joe can only see 10ft in front of him and we only noticed because we started doing our home school on the computer and he couldn't see the screen.

His new glasses will correct his vision to a certain point but he will never be 20/20.

Being Joe, he never complained and when he put his glasses on for the first time he didn't stop smiling for a straight 24 hours.

  



Our family had the opportunity to go to Disney while attending one of Taylor's bridal teas

and looking at the castle reminded me to live happily ever after. 

And to whisper my good-byes to the wind and to keep doing the next thing well.



A love story

Dear Miss Taylor,
How foolish I feel sometimes when I realize the thoughts I allow to form, unchecked. in my mind. Our time together so short yet I already feel so certain of so many things. The same certainty that I felt that no other woman was right for me, I feel towards you for very different reasons. The night we first spoke I fell instantly in like with you. Every minute since then has only sowed to strengthen that feeling and has been incomparable to anything I've known. Everything with you is so natural, so uncomplicated.
During church, I remember looking down at you, seeing you, the most beautiful woman I know, standing proudly beside goofy old me in front of your entire congregation. I just knew I was dreaming or it was a joke or you had a catch; but to my surprise and honest astonishment and disbelief, you just keep getting better and better. Not only are you everything I have ever dreamed of, you are exponentially more than that. You have brought so much into my life-wonderful, incredible things I never would have comprehended I was missing let alone existed without you.You have this unbelievable ability to make me instantly happy and smile despite the mountains of work and stress of the world and school. No matter where we end up, I will be happy. I will cherish you for the person you are and you have already and I have no doubt you always will be the reason I strive to be the best man I can be and to grow deeper in my relationship with God.

Yours and yours, alone,
John Lewis Porter

My Dearest Taylor,

When my grandmother was dying, I did my best to become close to her before we couldn't hold conversations anymore. It wasn't long before we began talking about her late husband my grandfather. She told me how he used to play the piano for her and I could tell she missed him and the music he played. So I went out and learned the song she mentioned to me. I played it for her soon after and she just sat there, crying, excruciating love apparent on her face, the love she still held for her husband decades after seeing him, never having considered another man. Ever since then, I've dreamed and prayed for a woman I could share a comparable love with. As of late I have been finding myself playing my grandmothers love story on the piano.

Yours and yours, alone,

John Lewis Porter

The sermons you sent me discussed the initial phase of love, the season of perfection. Well if this letter isn't enough indication, I'm definitely experiencing that season. I feel, however, I've already moved in to the next season, that of preparation. He went on to talk about maintaining high standards in the relationship, something I perceive our desires toward purity is on target. He continued by stating families should be involved. Your parents obviously have been here every step of the way. He finished by discussing conditional access. While I have no doubt your father will ensure this, I promise you Taylor, I am, and will remain, a Godly man for you and us.

Yours and yours, alone,

John L Porter

My Sweet Taylor..

How you've opened my eyes to so many things; homemade pizza, organic maple syrup, dancing in the rain. But, most of all, true love. Yes, it is now, after being swept away by you, that I understand what those hyperbolic poets wrote about and the dramatic movie producers gush over. What C.S, Lewis wrote about and what we read the other night-about failing to comprehend the true greatness of something, how the experts of a field know everything that every amateur knows. I feel that way about our love.

I won't always make you happy and I know that there will be stressful days, disappointments and disagreements. However. even these pains are better than my best days before you, living life alone for no purpose, and with no passion. Our love, I've noticed, only seems to become better, richer, deeper, fuller.

I will never forget the love you've showered me with, or the change you've already brought about in my life.  

Yours and yours, alone,

John Lewis Porter 

Dear Beautiful Birthday Girl,

The sermon you sent me said God made woman to help man accomplish the things he cannot accomplish on his own. I know I've said this before, but meeting and falling in love with you has made the things I'"m unable to accomplish on my own abundantly clear. So, on this day, I celebrate your life for your life means the completion of mine. I am overjoyed to be able to celebrate your life with your family, friends, church community. We celebrate you for the good works you've done, for the love you shower on everyone, for the selfless care you provide for your siblings. 

Yours and yours, alone,

John L. Porter   

For seven months now this shoe box filled with homemade breads and cookies and enduring love letters has made it's way back and forth from Auburn where John lives (and will be finishing up his senior year as an electrical engineer) to our little country mailbox that Taylor checks everyday. I have watched my little girl walk the driveway since she was seven years old and had her first pen-pal. Sometimes she couldn't wait till she got home to read the words so she would sit in the pasture and savor every single thing her friend had to say. She would cook while reading letters and read her letters to us by candlelight at the supper table.

 So when her first letter from John came shortly after they met I knew her walk to the mail-box was different. I knew my little girl was grown now and when she pulled that first letter out the smile lasted all the way till she walked up the steps onto the front porch.

I have always known that God meant for Taylor to be a wife. She longed to find her soul mate. She longed to find a man who wanted a wife in a world where so many men are choosing to wait until they have partied or "lived" a life of freedom for a time. She didn't want a man who thought marriage was the last thing you did before you died. She wanted a man who knew that God ordained marriage to be a gift and a blessing. She wanted a man who knew how important family and community was.
So for the past 7 months John has made his way to our home and to our church. He has answered 100+ questions from our closest friends and Elders and so many family meetings that I dare not mention all of them. He has spent one on one time with me and Scott and every one of her brothers and sisters. He has built a fence on the property with Tucker by his side just to help out.

He reads bedtime stories and holds the little girls until they're crying when he has to leave. Back in May John's family and our family made our way to the same beach and got to spend some time together. I knew when John asked Scott and I about marrying Taylor that the answer was yes.

But reality sets in quickly for me. I cry like I've never cried before. Taylor is my first born daughter and very best friend and if you know us at all you know we are joined at the heart. John was asking me for something that I truly didn't know how I was going to give up. You see we cook together every single night and listen to music and tell jokes and read blogs together. She holds one baby and I hold the other when they're sick.
She crawls in my bed and we giggle about hopes and dreams. We eat Mexican on any given day and we both love canning and learning new things .My mind racing to think about my home without her here.

But God tells me in his word there is a time for everything. A time for Taylor to be here and a time for her to leave and it's her time to leave. I sat on the edge of her bed yesterday as she held up things that represented her life for the past 20 years and said should I keep this? Do I need this? Channie can have this. All of these are just things trinkets, books, dolls and I just thanked the Lord that I have spent hours of my time training her to love the Lord and to serve others, to cook and run a household because those things can never be boxed up.  I pray she lives them out every day with John. I pray that as good of a friend she was and is to me that she will be doubly so to him. I am gaining an incredible young man whom I will be proud to call son.

So yes, John, you can have the other piece of my heart and I trust that she will be a  beautiful, loyal daughter of the King to walk beside you all the days of your life.  

 Soon to be married in Oct 2013