My God-Daughter Kirbie is getting married! I vividly remember the blustery day we drove to northern Indiana to attend the wedding of her friend Sarah. Kirbie had never even had a date (and that prom event in those six inch heels on her already 5’10” frame does not count.) Sensing her inner turmoil at watching her beautiful friend marry the godly man of her dreams and wondering if it would ever be her turn, I turned to her in that bizarre Air bnb we rented and we held hands and prayed. We prayed for a godly man who would cherish Kirbie and love her until the end of time.
She met a young man who is a nurse at the hospital where she works as a CNA. Three years after the prayers and two years of dating, Kirbie knew he was the one. His name is Robbie and he was born in Guyana, South America. He comes from an international heritage of Indian (India) mother and Filipino father. How on earth did he end up in Sebring, Florida?
Kirbie and Robbie
For that matter, how did I end up in Sebring, Florida? I guess it was so that I could meet Kirbie and employ her for her first job as a CNA for one of my guardianship clients. We became friends and ultimately she was my wingman on a wild and wacky adventure in Kansas. There is a book about to be published on that adventure. The Lord knew Kirbie needed a mentor, a friend and later on a husband and since she was anchored in Sebring, God brought Robbie and me to find her there.
A sensible girl, she and Robbie are going to elope on May 29, 2021. It is a practical measure to allow her to move in to the home of her husband and embark on a nursing adventure with him while they work together in various towns where the nursing need is great. She is not one for “stuff” and Lord knows after packing all my stuff and driving it from Florida to Kansas and then back to Indiana. She can be happy anywhere with anything and she wants to travel and see the world.
So how best to commemorate this most momentous occasion? With memories and adventure of course. I wanted to send her for a memorable mini honeymoon and thought about where they could go for at least a night or two. I fondly remember River Ranch in Central Florida and knew this old cattle staging area had been turned into a dude ranch resort and they feature some adventure accommodations to include a teepee, Conestoga wagon, saddle club rail car and glamping of every type. When I asked if she had ever heard of it she knew all about it and they wanted to go there. When I asked about what accommodation was her favorite, she replied, “the teepee of course.” I taught the girl well.
In order to be with her on her wedding day, I put together the traditional “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.” Everything was easy except the something blue. I don’t even like blue yet in all my stuff, I had collected a geode which is blue. The story I had brewing for months about the beauty inside the geode became Kirbie’s “something blue.”
A geode just looks like a boring, uninteresting possibly even an ugly rock that you would not look at twice. It must be broken to reveal the incredible beauty inside. Most geodes contain clear quartz crystals but there are any number of surprises God puts inside. Some have a banding just beneath the outer shell of agate, chalcedony or jasper and they can be filled with amethyst, calcite, dolomite, celestite and more. Then in the very center, there is a heart of sparkled gemstones. Buried deep within this uninteresting exterior is a beautiful and magnificent gem.
Kirbie, you have always believed you were boring, uninteresting, possibly even an ugly duckling. I however saw the rare jewel of who you are inside. Deep within the exterior which has always given you pain, is the exquisite jewel God created. You are a wonder of nature. Robbie has discovered your gemstone quality as well. Don’t ever forget that the One who made the earth, made you perfectly.
My most heartfelt wishes for your happiness as you marry the very one we prayed for.
Polly and Kirbie on that blustery day in 2017