Uncategorized – Apples of Gold Encouragement: Recent Episodes
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Every bride remembers…
Every bride remembers the moments, the details, the highlights, the princess day she dreamed as a child playing in real time, filling up her album of memories as a grown woman on her wedding day, so a bride might hold them, cherish them, and reminisce over them for a lifetime.
Yes, every bride remembers…
Every bride remembers the man who loved her first during the milestone dance with her father, replaying their rehearsals for this day when a little girl followed tippy-toe to the music on her daddy’s feet, a man who held tight to the hands and child in his arms all those years of his daughters growing up.
A bride remembers…
A bride remembers and dares not forget the Princess Dance her father escorted her to…
Where a wrist corsage of roses befitting royalty is presented…
Where a little girls twirl captures the beauty of her princess self and daddy’s attention, whose words of her loveliness causes the seeds of a father’s affirmation to take root and bloom into the daughter’s womanhood.
Where the pages of a magical event is written for the two of them, a storybook for their eyes only to remain under lock and key and tucked inside the jewelry box of a daughter’s impressionable heart forever.
A bride remembers…
A bride remembers another dance not with her father, but grandfather she affectionately adores.
The ambiance of the princess castle captures the awe of a little girl’s attention as when she attended the dance with her father.
While though a Daddy Daughter Dance is presented for daughters and daddy’s who long a magical evening together, there are special pages of a little girl’s fairy-tale reserved especially for memories between a granddaughter and the one whose heart she wraps a special love around; her papa.
An evening among princesses who share the spotlight of sparkle…
An evening of fine dining together where dinner and dessert can be eaten in any order the princess wishes…
An evening where the belle of the ball and her storybook prince dance until the fairy-tale clock strikes midnight…
Every bride remembers…
Yes, every bride remembers the man who loved her first.
Whether her daddy…
Whether her grandfather…
Whether an important male figure in her life…
A bride will always remember the man who loved her first.The one who risked embarrassment for a smile.
May the daddy’s, the grandfathers, the uncles, the male pastors or teachers, those important men in a daughter’s world realize he hangs the stars of his love in the midnight skies of her eyes.
May this princess never doubt her beauty, her worth, her value, her place in your life.
May this princess feel safe in your arms, be confident in your love and be introduced to the truest love of her Heavenly Daddy.
May she never go lacking or searching for your attention.
May this bride always remember at the dance with her father…
My daddy loved me first…
MY DADDY LOVED ME FIRST By Lori A Alicea
The first to lay your eyes on me,The first my heart to seek.The first to ever hold my hand,Or kiss my chubby cheek.
You’d blink; your little girl would grow,I’d chase you every chance.On tippy toes I’d follow you,Our Daddy Daughter Dance.
The years will pass; I’ll soon be grown,Our heart of tears will burst.But yet remains our memory,My daddy loved me first.
“Where have twelve wonderful years gone?” In the blink of an eye and ten grandchildren later, a milestone is months away from the intersection of “Letting Go” and “What’s Next Lord?” for this grandmother. I do this to myself regarding most upcoming milestones in my life; reminiscing, savoring the memories, and rehearsing my approach to … Continue reading A GRANDPARENT’S MILESTONE! By Lori A Alicea
Can you hear it? Close your eyes and quietly listen for the pitter-patter of tiny rain drops dancing in the puddles with one another. Imagine a small child abandoned in the kisses of a delicate spring shower against her face. Can you hear it? Bask in the soothing song of a gentle waterfall which flows … Continue reading OUR CUP RUNNETH OVER By Lori A Alicea
When head-over-heels in love with wedding bells anxious to toll, you’ve most likely dreamed of sharing life bordered by a white picket fence, with a fairy tale story waiting to be told of two people growing old together. Little girls keep their happily-ever-after secrets locked under key in the diaries of their innocent hearts, these … Continue reading GROWING OLD TOGETHER By Lori A Alicea
A quiet morning sitting along the shoreline beach of Hawaii, a picturesque view where my six-year old granddaughter feeds the waves with sand food served from a menu of her imagination; an hour of calm for me as the ocean soothes the soles of my weary feet with every wave that crashes up against them. … Continue reading SO MANY GOOD-BYES By Lori A Alicea
Four years ago this October God blessed David and I with an anniversary gift, yet didn’t realize it at the time. Four years ago we were planning our romantic anniversary getaway to our quiet honeymoon place on the lake, only to find there were no vacancies for the full month of October. This had never … Continue reading OUR LONG GOOD-BY By Lori A Alicea
Mother celebrated her 79th birthday over the 4th of July weekend. Surrounded by her life-long friend and beloved family decorated in the trimmings of the holiday, we honored the beginning of another year with our mother. When you get to be 79 years of age and have blown out a few more candles than you … Continue reading SUMMER MEMORIES WITH MOM By Lori A Alicea
“What do you dream about?” “What do you sing about?” “What do you cry about?” Author John Maxwell What dreams keep you up at night thinking, imagining, rehearsing, “I was born for this?” What have you been called to do? We’ve all been called. We’ve all been called to make a difference, to be a … Continue reading STEPPING INTO YOUR FULL BLOOM By Lori A Alicea
You were born with a gift. A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before the great. Proverbs 18:16 ESV You were born with a dream. You were born to do what only you can do. Your audience anxiously waits for you to take your stage and give them the “performance of a … Continue reading STARTS WITH A DREAM By Lori A Alicea
It takes courage to stand up and stand out in a crowd. It takes courage to be that color in a black and white world. It takes courage not to blend in with everyone else. It takes courage to speak when the world is listening. It takes courage to draw attention when all eyes are … Continue reading DARE TO BE DIFFERENT By Lori A Alicea
There is a Secret Place my husband David and I retreat to every year during the fall colors of October, setting aside a weekend to honor another wedding anniversary God has so abundantly blessed us with. Our Secret Place has a front row seat to this beautiful lake, a living portrait of waves slow dancing … Continue reading THE SECRET PLACE By Lori A Alicea
Daddy’s are one of a kind. Not a cookie cutter in the bunch. Their personalities outnumber the thirty-one flavors at the ice cream parlor. Dads come in all sizes and shapes. Dads get up every morning to jobs that are as night and day from the other. In my family alone we have a control room operator, mill guy, custodian, truck driver, dentist and a funeral director; all million dollar hard workers, dedicated at providing the best care for their families.
Daddies are the centerpiece of the home. The table set isn’t complete without their presence centered in the hearts of their children. The impact they have follows through the generations. The hand-print they leave doesn’t involve money or lavished gifts. Their legacy will be written in memories broken down in moments, small pockets of time spent for no other reason than “just because.”
A few months ago at their papa’s 60th birthday party, the grandchildren were asked to recall their fondest memory spent with their grandfather. Having ten grandchildren with eight that could talk and two babies unable, all gave vivid memories framed in the “little things”. Our seven year old Ethan said it best, “What I love about my papa is that he comes to my games and buys me chips and pop at the Dollar General.”
While there is nothing wrong about being that hero in your child’s eyes, they really just want you to be that “chips and pop” kind of dad, making memories with them framed in the “little things”.
I can’t imagine any child not treasuring the time their dad spent helping them conquer the two-wheeler without those training wheels. Dad passing on his confidence in them that the world is their stage; they can do anything; they can do this!
Boys sure watch their daddy’s with eyes following them everywhere. They want to be like daddy morning, noon and night. It’s these moments that write the pages and chapters of a “father – son” best seller.
Daughters are smitten with their daddies also. Daddies are their only boyfriend before that man one day sweeps her off her feet. Until then, little girls love simple time with their daddy; like time spent together on her rope swing, a swing daddy made especially for her and moments for them.
Daughters love to tag along, having daddy all to herself. Hand in hand she follows daddy’s footsteps, trusting his lead along the way. These walks around the block will follow her the days of her life, never tiring a stolen moment with dad.
Blossoming into a princess, daddy is her prince charming when he serves his “lady in waiting” in the glamour she delights in. A precious few minutes together, to be remembered a lifetime by daddy’s little girl.
Memories don’t cost anything but time and your heart. Memories are dividing up your collection of rods and walking to the pond with your grandchildren a few streets a way to see what fish are biting.
Memories are made with your eyes beholding the child God gave to a daddy.
Memories that children remember will not revolve around daddy’s money or the lavish, but the moments he framed in the “little things”; their hero dressed as a “chips and pop” kind of dad.
Daddy’s, your little girls will only be little for a short period of time. They are Cinderella’s wanting you to teach them to dance for her ball. One day you’ll blink and realize she’s all grown up. The days pass by so quickly.
Frame a moment with her and teach your Cinderella to dance.
Below is an impromptu moment between a papa and his granddaughter,
Their Cinderella Moment Together.
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*Video Courtesy of Debbie Hritz
Song: CINDERELLA, By Steven Curtis Chapman*