A good friend of mine got married this weekend. Saturday.
Thinking of some of the difficulties she's been through, I'm really amazed by the amount of progress and healing she's seen over the last few years. I remember having to talk her through stuff that many people don't ever get over. And now, having seen her standing there with her new husband, both of them looking so happy that they were practically incandescant, I feel... an odd sort of happiness.
I first met the guy shortly after the two of them began dating. Even on that first meeting, I could tell that he was a perfect match for her. (No, I'm not just saying that now that it's happened. As far as I can recall, I've just known things about people. It's always been reliable, too.) He's a good man, and I believe that he's been a good influence for her. (Also, I personally quite like him. I suppose you could say that I approve of the match.)
I've known her for a few years, and when I first met her she had been going through some "less than pleasant" times. I found myself acting as sort of a father figure - staying up too late comforting her, teaching her stuff, prophesying in a parking lot, communicating the healing of God, and basically doing that sort of stuff - and I somehow came to regard her almost as a daughter.
I've gotten to see her regain her joy and confidence, I've seen her heart healed of great wounds, and now she's got a husband who makes her so happy she glows. Yet, though I don't regret or begrudge so much as an instant of the time I've spent with her, for all that I love her the thought still crossed my mind, "from this day forward, she's all his problem."