Hello sweet girl! I do not know who you are as I write this. I imagine we won't be meeting for quite some time. Your husband is only 3 years old right now. He is imaginative, outgoing, fun, silly, just like his daddy, and one HANDSOME boy! As I am sure you agree! :)
It is crazy to think about who you are! I have no idea. I have no idea if you are even born yet. Maybe you are and your mommy is holding you as we speak. Maybe you are a little older and a little toddler running around with siblings. I have no idea. But I do know this. I have prayed for you every day since the day Brody was born. I have prayed for him to be a man of God made just for you. I have prayed that you would find each other and you would fit together like puzzle pieces. I have prayed that you would be his and he would be yours.
Your husband and I had a great pregnancy. He was so easy!!! No sickness or issues during pregnancy until about 33 weeks. I began having low fluid. I had to drink tons and tons of water! As if being 33 weeks pregnant didn't send me to bathroom enough, then add 150 ounces of water a day. I lived in the bathroom. But it was worth it to help my baby boy. At 38 weeks I went in for a routine checkup and my fluid was at a dangerous level of 4. So, I got induced starting at midnight that night! At 7 am we started Pitocin. He was a little stubborn and gave me a 14 hour labor, but came with only 15 minutes of pushing at 8:51 pm on 9-9-11. Brody Scott Webster was born. It was love at first sight. He was 6 lbs 9 oz and 18 1/2 inches long of sweet goodness. Small baby - but his mommy and daddy aren't big themselves! About 20 minutes after Brody was born, Aaron and I prayed over him. We prayed that he would be a man of God. That he would love others and put others before himself. That he would be a good friend and share Jesus' light to all he met. We prayed (and still do every day) that he would find the love of the Lord early and commit all his days to serving him. And we prayed for you. We prayed you would find each other and have an everlasting love. That you would adore each other and have God as the center of your relationship.
The night before Brody was born
Brody at 27 weeks
Brody at 27 weeks with precious little cheeks!
He loves his sister to death. I pray they grow up to be best friends. I hope that you and Payton have a strong bond and relationship. You need to love each other and support each other. She is not trying to replace you and you don't need to try to fill her shoes. Y'all both have special places in Brody's heart and you have very different places in Brody's heart.
There are some things I want you to know. Some things you need to know before you marry my little boy!
1. I want you to know that I am on your side. I don't want you to be nervous about your "dreaded" in-laws. I remember the first time I met my in-laws. We pulled up to their house and I was a ball of nerves. Would they like me? Would I be good enough for their boy? Will we get along? So on and so on. I have been there sweet girl. I get it! Relax. It will be okay! We have prayed many years over Brody for a strong and discerning heart after Jesus. We trust the Lord and we trust Brody. We trust that Brody has prayed over your relationship and we trust that he is making a wise decision. If Brody feels like you are the one for him, we will welcome you with open arms and open hearts. We will treat you as if you were our own daughter.
2. I loved him first and I was his first love.
I am sure you have heard this by parents before. They loved there child first. It's true. I have loved Brody since the day I found out I was pregnant on January 4, 2011. It was instant love. My love for him has only grown since then. It is a fierce love. A love that absolutely nothing in this world could ever break. A love that cannot be replaced. It is only a love that a mother can have. I hope you get to experience it one day - I want some grand babies!! :) I was also his first love. I was the one who saw his first smile and his first laugh. I was the only who picked him up when he got hurt and kissed all of his "boo boo's". I was the one who cleaned up his vomit when he was sick. I was the one he called out for in the middle of night to come to his rescue. I was the one who cuddled him while we watched "Pooper (Super) Mickey" a million times. I am the one who taught him to dress himself and pee pee in the toilet with good aim (you will thank me one day!) His daddy was the first one to teach him how to play sports and we were the ones who watched him play his first sports game and fail. And then who picked him back up and told him to try again. And then saw him succeed. I was the first one who held him after his first broken heart. I taught him how to get over that silly girl and realize how valuable of a young man he is! I watched him drive away in a car for the first time. I was the first one who told him about Jesus and tried to show him how to live. I taught him about money, and relationships, and all the "tough" stuff. I am preparing him to be a husband, for you! I was the one who dropped him off in his college dorm and then was a blubbering mess the whole way home (yes, I know, he is only 3 but I know how I will be that day! I cry when I leave him for 24 hours, let alone college!)
But you need to know something else. YOU are his love now. Yes, I was his first. And that cannot be replaced nor should it be. But you are his now. It's your turn. It is your turn to pick him up when he is down. It is your turn to mend him back to health when he is sick. It is your turn to watch him fail and pick him back up. It is your turn to encourage him to try again and be successful. It is your turn to discover how to handle finances as a married couple and how to make life work on your own. It is your turn to mend his heart when it is broken by circumstances that life throws your way. It is your turn to help him become a man among men, a man after God's heart, a man that loves his wife and children, and a man who we would be and are both proud of. It isn't easy for me to let you have this spot. See I have had it for many, many years. But I am trusting you with this very important position.
Those eyes would melt anyone!
As the day draws near that you will meet me and my husband, your future in-law's, you will be nervous. You will want to make sure you impress us and that you say the right things. You will want us to like you. You will want to make sure your outfit is just right and that you look pretty when you meet us! I know because I have been there. Don't be nervous! I am excited to meet you! I cannot wait to get to know you and learn more about you. I cannot wait to see yours and Brody's relationship grow and mature. I cannot wait for the day you tell us "We're pregnant!" and the day I get to meet my grand baby. Aaron and I will be your biggest fans! We will support you and love you. We pray for you every day and will continue that! We aren't here to judge or make you feel like you aren't a "part" of our family. You are a very important part of our family!! Your place can never be filled by anyone but you!! We want your relationship to be good and whole and we want to see you and Brody be happy!! We love you and we're here for you. Don't be nervous, you are our new daughter and we couldn't be more thrilled.
You are so important to my son! You are his missing puzzle piece! I won't say you make him whole because the Lord makes us whole. He is his own person and you are yours. You should not complete each other but rather the Lord should complete you. However, you will be what makes his heart skip a beat. You will be the one to cheer him on, to lift him up, to be his "other half". You will be the one that he swells with pride at when you are walking hand in hand into a room. You will be the one who sees him at his worst and at his best and will love him anyway. You will be the one who has to show mercy to him when you get into a fight. On the flip side, he should be your missing puzzle piece. The one you run to when things don't go right. The one who dries your tears, who holds you when you need to be held, who laughs with you, who is your biggest fan, and who stands by you and leads you through all of lifes experiences.
I don't know what this life will bring your way. I have no idea what God has in store for the two of you. I do know that if you trust him and follow Him, you can't go wrong. He will guide you, love you, protect you, and be there every step of the way. You just have to let Him. Keep Him at the center of your marriage and He will bless your marriage in ways you never knew possible.
You will be the first person that he sees when he wakes up and he will be the first person you see. You will make each other laugh, smile, mad, and all the many emotions in between. You will make each other a better person because you had the other one in your life. You will understand what true love means and understand that you can love someone more than you love yourself. You will (hopefully if you decide to have kids :))be the first ones to hold a precious new life when you welcome new ones into this world. If you have children, you will raise them together. You will experience exhaustion together, hurts together, struggle through this thing called parenting together, and watch your little ones grow up just like I am doing with Brody. It won't always be easy, but it will always be worth it.
I hope on my death bed (hopefully a long, long ways away from now), that my sweet Brody is standing next to me. I hope that as I drift from this life into the next my sweet boy will be there, still holding my hand. I hope that he will have fond memories of his past. I hope memories of him and I will bring floods of happiness and joy. I know it does for me. I hope he remembers the times we played ball, and cars, and hide-and-seek a million times, and watched videos, and cooked together, and painted together. I hope he remembers me at everything he did in the stands supporting him. I hope he remembers that I always loved him and supported him no matter what. I hope that he remembers that I was always his number one fan. I hope he remembers the lessons I taught him on how to be a gentleman and to treat women. I hope he remembers to respect you and cherish you because he saw his father do that for me. Then, I hope he also realizes that all those memories belong to me, yet all of the new and incredible memories belong to you, his beloved wife.
See, we don't have to try and fight to find our place with Brody. We both have very special, unique places. Places that the other one could never fill. We are both so important to him in so many different ways. You get the honor of being his the love of his life now. Cherish it. You are his best friend, his lover, his supporter, his wife. No one could ever take your place, nor should they. You are his supporter. Let him lead your family. Pray over him and guidance for him as he leads you and guides you. Support him.
You now have my whole world in the palm of your hands. Take care of him. Love him, support him. It's not my job anymore, but yours. It a sacred job that I don't give to just anyone. Please cherish your new job and love him with every breathe and ounce of your being. He's been loved that way his whole life and knows nothing else. Be each other's best friend and each others priority. Be what only you can be to our sweet boy.
I cannot wait for this new chapter!! Welcome to our family sweet new daughter of mine! I love you.
Love,
Karlee - Your Future Mother-In-Law
