THE ROYAL WEDDING

The Royal Wedding

To be a princess…

Standing in front of a full-length mirror, she saw herself, a bride. Dressed in lace, decorated with jewels, and trailed by a beautiful veil, she would soon be a princess. Did she always dream about becoming a princess? As a little girl, did she twirl in pretty dresses and pretend to be swept away by her Knight in Shining Armor? On April 29th, many of us day-dreamed about being Kate Middleton, or should I now say, ‘Her Royal Highness Princess William Arthur Philip Louis, Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn, Baroness Carrickfergus.’ Wow! In one day, she went from a commoner to Royal Highness, Princess, Duchess, Countess, and Baroness. What a title!

In my own daydream, I remembered a box full of beautifully worn and torn old prom dresses that I used to play with in our childhood basement. They were my mom’s dresses from the 70’s. Bold multicolor striped, magenta, green shin length, long-sleeved burgundy lace, these dresses were anything but spectacular, but to me and my girlfriends, these were not just old prom dresses; they were ‘special’ dresses that could transcend us from my Garfield Heights basement in 1987, to a Royal Ballroom wedding celebration for us and my our very own ‘Knight in shining armor!’ I laugh when I think back to those times in the basement. Little girls almost always dream about being somebody’s princess.

Humbly, I realize I have been so very blessed to feel like somebody’s princess… three times.

I started dating when I was three years old. Really! My dad took me out once every couple months for the entire day. He called it, ‘Queen for a Day.’ The date began with breakfast, followed by a trip to the beauty salon, and finished with a grand finale like the Goodtime III or the Bolshoi Ballet. I will never forget those ‘Grand Finales.’ My dad sure is something. The entire time we were on our date he would open all doors for me, pull out my chairs before I sat, never let me walk on the outside of the side walk (in case a car jumped the curve he walked closest to the street) and he would insist that any man worth marrying would be sure to do the same. He was right. My husband did all of those things on our first date, and he continues to do them to this day. His selfless love and commitment to me is what makes me feel like a princess; for the second time.

Still, there is someone who’s Royalty and Kingship has actually given me the truest title of Princess Josephine. Really, I AM A PRINCESS! Oh now don’t be jealous, this King would be more than happy to make you His princess too. I’ve been on a poem kick. Here is one to help you understand.

Oh to be a princess
Someone’s real Cinderella
The Grand Ballroom, a big white dress,
And just the perfect fella’.

Red carpet, glass slippers, with jewels that glisten and shine
First class, fine dining
and to know it was just all mine

That Someone would find me the fairest
More than any other one before
To think that I was the one and only
His Royal heart would adore

Then I understood…

The One who sought my heart
Was the One who put it all together
He knew that I was flawed in many ways
But none of which He wouldn’t weather

With immense joy He pursued me
Showering me with precious gifts, patience and love
I knew His heart for me was different
Only to understand it was from above

No Earthly man could ever
Love in a way so pure and true
This Love is unexplainable
Because Love equals You.

Ladies, we can be thankful that God is a gentleman and anxiously awaits an invitation to be the King of our hearts. We at least can agree that we all have that same burning desire to be genuinely loved; even though we are often unlovable. To be perfectly frank, although they love me the best they can, even my dad and my husband cannot fulfill that love I desire. You know why? We were purposefully created with a part of our hearts that would never be satisfied by any earthly object or being. Our Creator intended to make us, His creation, with unfinished hearts. He did this to know that He wasn’t forcing us to love Him, but rather giving us the choice. See, relationships worth having are never forced, they’re chosen, agreed upon, and then continuously worked on and nurtured. A relationship with God, a true King is no different. He gave us a choice to choose Royalty and be made whole, or to remain unfinished in constant pursuit of love (1 John 4:10, Romans 5:8). Only love from this King can ever satisfy the heart of a princess.
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8”

HAPPY FATHERS DAY DAD!
You’ll never know what our relationship means to me. Thank you for being my first date, setting a Godly standard, and ALWAYS ENCOURAGING ME! I love you.

Easy Recipe for Chicken ALA “KING”

1 pkg. frozen peas (10 oz.)
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. minced onions
1/4 c. minced garlic
Dash of red pepper flakes
1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 c. chicken broth
1 c. milk or light cream
2 c. cooked diced chicken
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Cook peas, drain and set aside. Place butter, onion, garlic and red pepper flakes in a 3 quart glass casserole dish. Cover and microwave 2-3 minutes or until tender. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in chicken broth and milk. Microwave 3-7 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. Add peas and remaining ingredients. Cover and microwave 5-7 minutes or until bubbly. Stir once during cooking. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serve over rice or egg noodles.