Today my oldest daughter and I are going shopping for a special dress for her to wear to the Father/Daughter banquet coming up in February at our church. The banquet consists of a sit down dinner and share time for girls in the 7th-12th grade and their fathers. I love this banquet for many reasons...one,it is the most special time of the whole year for my daughter,she looks so forward to it.... and it is time with her dad. (How many girls look forward to an evening with their fathers more than anything else? I'm so grateful.) They dress up and drive to church(about 65 miles)...this allows for great conversation in the car between just them. Then they arrive at the destination of the banquet,which is usually our church,but sometimes at different places. Last year it was at our state capitol rotunda. It is always decorated so beautifully with white lights,beautiful table linens, and fresh flowers. One of the other things I love about the banquet is the part where the 12th grade girls give testimony to their father's guidance in their lives. Each girl gets up in front of everyone and shares why they love and appreciate their dads...most read scripture,share stories of their childhood,and explain why their father is so wonderful. The fathers write down on a card(ahead of time) important encouragements for their daughters that they share privately with them at the banquet. The daughters sometimes write letters to their fathers. Last year the assignment was to pick a fruit of the spirit which describes their father and to write a letter to explain how their father exhibits this fruit in their lives. The girls also sing a song for the fathers which they practice for in the previous weeks. It is a very encouraging time for the daughter and the fathers. This will be Gracie's third time to attend the banquet. Next year Abigail will be old enough to go,so Mike will have 2 daughters to escort. How fun!

I,also,love the emphasis our church has on modest dress for girls and women. It is so important today,where very young girls are seen looking so inappropriately dressed,trying to imitate what they see as the world's beauty. We have always emphasized modesty and inner beauty with our daughters throughout their lives and it is very refreshing to see it encouraged and emphasized in our church as well. CJ and Carolyn Mahaney came to our church a couple of years ago(or maybe less). They spoke on love between husbands and wives,but also spoke on the topic of modesty. We were not able to attend the conference,but we purchased the tapes. I love to hear Carolyn's teaching on modesty and biblical beauty. Thankfully,dressing modestly has never been an issue in our family...our girls have a desire for this. But,to have a church give direct teaching to the girls on this is so very helpful! It reinforces what we are trying to do at home.

That brings me to shopping for a dress for Gracie....Last year she wore a beautiful floor length sleeveless formal gown in a deep purple...it had elegant bows around the waistline and the top went up very high on her,so that she was covered well,but looked pretty . Have you seen the dresses out there for this age??? Have you stepped into specialty shops,bridal shops,and department stores to see what the choices are? It is not good...and it is VERY difficult to find pretty and elegant dresses that are modest. Most are strapless...or if they have straps,they are skinny spaghetti straps. We have a wonderful shop here in our town where we found her other one. I'm hoping they will have some nice choices. I,also,know of a few online places....but,she really has to try things on...she is so thin,but tall,so finding a nice fit is difficult,plus we will have to get it altered and if you buy it in a shop,usually they have free alterations.

So,I am off to shop...hopefully we can find something beautiful! This special event requires a VERY special dress!