Light shone brightly through the slightly clouded glass of the small upstairs window in the old Pinckney Retreat plantation home.

I could hear birds singing as I slowly awoke from the exhausted state of sleep I had been in.

I abruptly sat up when I realized that it was my wedding day.

I jumped out of bed and made my way over to the window eave. I couldn’t believe that the weather was so perfect.

“It’s a beautiful day!” I exclaimed excitedly to my mom who was also just waking up.

Neither of us could fall sleep the night before, so we had stayed up talking into the wee hours of the morning.

Originally I had planned to stay the night with some of my bridesmaids, but in the end, it had worked out that it was just my mom and me. And I was glad for it.

The week had been so busy with all the last minute wedding details that we had hardly had time to talk.

It was a bittersweet time together. In a sense, I was saying good-bye to a certain aspect of our relationship.

I was about to step into the role of Grant’s wife and move far away.

Even though at times I wondered if I was prepared for what lay ahead of me, I knew my mom had been preparing me for this day for a long time.

I stared out the window at the treetops that were slightly swaying in the marsh breeze.

I had dreaded the thought of waking up to rain on my wedding day and I had half expected it to be dreary when I woke up.

The weather had called for it, and I had been less than optimistic.

But no matter how hard I tried, my hopes had been high for a clear day. It was my wedding day after all.

“Thank you God for giving Grant and I this beautiful day! I pray that You would be honored today.” I whispered.


I started gathering my things and getting ready to head to the church where I would get my hair and make-up done. I was filled with nervousness and excitement. By the end of the day, I would be a Castleberry.

 ——————————–

My mom tied the yellow satin sash around my waist and fastened the last buckle on my gold peep toe shoes.

She stepped back and looked at me in the small church room where I had gotten dressed.

I couldn’t believe I was wearing my wedding dress.

“You look beautiful,” my mom said with tears in her eyes.

I glanced into the mirror and felt my heart jump. Like most girls, I can usually find something in my reflection to regard as less than perfect.

But not today.

I loved the way two dear women from our church had fixed my hair and make-up.

I loved the way my pearly barrette was tucked “just so” into my hair.

I loved the way the tiny golden beads on my veil glistened in the sunlight that filtered in through the window.

I loved that my wedding dress felt light and airy and looked so creamy white.

I loved the way the bows on my golden peep-toe shoes slightly poked out from the hem of my dress.

As I looked at my mom, my eyes brimmed with tears too.


How in the world was I going to make it through the day?


I was so excited, but I was nervous as well.

I kept thinking about so many things.

I thought about the first time Grant told me howdy and how he had flown all the way from Japan to see me.

And now, this moment would also soon become a memory; a memory that would be a part of my life forever.

“GraceAnna,” I heard my dad whisper.

I turned at the sound of his voice and looked at him. The tears that were brimming in my eyes now started to fall, making a trail through my make-up.

“You look beautiful, ” my dad said smiling. I could tell he was trying to hold back the tears too.

“Look,” he said grabbing my hand. “Today is going to be a great day! We are going to make it through this and have fun.”

I think my dad knew what I  needed to hear at this moment in my life. I needed his encouragement. I needed to take a deep breath and still my knocking knees.

“I just saw Grant out in the hallway,” my dad continued,  “he looks so excited.”

I broke out in a smile as I thought about Grant. Soon to be my Grant.

My dad stepped out of the room for a moment and my mom gathered the bridesmaids together for a word of prayer.

When we were done, I no longer felt scared or nervous. Instead I felt excited.

My dad walked back into the room, “It’s time.”


The bridesmaids filed out of the small room and toward the sanctuary.

As we got closer, I could hear the music playing.

I held on to my dad’s arm tightly and I could feel my heart pulsating through my entire body.

This was the moment I had been waiting for.

to be continued….
{I’m almost finished with Texas Heart . . . I’m glad I didn’t know that it was going to take me this long to write it or I probably never would have started! Looking forward to finishing the last post(s) . . . for those of you still reading along!}