The Year of the Wedding
In December 2018, I posted this to my Instagram https://www.instagram.com/stuartthenotebookmeeting/ :
On a perfect day in November (after a perfect night before), our Liz married her Neal before the Lord, our families, and loving friends who have become family over the years. As we have prayed that HE might, God covered the day with overflowing love, perfect words, and indescribable beauty that overwhelm us to this day, all atop a hill overlooking a glorious apple orchard in Blue Ridge, Ga. As Liz’s Aunt Karen led us through this Celebration of Marriage and her Uncle Tim spoke the words of Corinthians that our hearts long to hear, a faint rainbow broke through the clouds as if to say, “Yes, I am here.”
For weeks after the wedding, I told many that I just didn’t have the words to describe how magical and special it was. I still don’t. Nothing I can write could explain it to you. All I can say is Thanks be to God.
The wedding was on November 3, 2018, after an engagement of 18 months. If you’ve ever been part of planning a wedding, you know that planning covers a year or more easily. Every moment prior to November 3rd at 6:00 p.m. related to the wedding (setting up, meeting with the caterer and florist, finding the decorations, attending showers, hosting showers, choosing the dress, meeting with Neal for dinner and blessings) had its own special joy.
Imagine…a year and more of special joy. Overwhelming joy.
Who would want to miss that?
Not me.
So I made sure I didn’t.
Throughout that year and more of planning, doing, creating, hosting, etc. I just kept rearranging life to make sure I could dedicate whatever was needed to be a part of creating that special joy.
I made some hard but very good choices.
Living with intention requires us to do that. Living with intention asks us to be purposeful with our moments, even when the moments fill an entire year or more.
So for that year and more, David and I agreed to change our life’s focus to creating joy for our Cinderella and her Prince. We traveled to that special apple orchard and prayed for what was to come. We helped plan and coordinate. We shopped. We made. We packed. We brought. We helped organize. We did it. Then it came.
We celebrated with the glory of the Lord surrounding us. Overwhelming joy.
Thanks be to God.
