A Weekend Wedding

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 275: Today, I am grateful for a weekend wedding.

There is nothing like a wedding to remind us of the wonder of love. Love is a choice we make every day. Love is days of smiles and laughter... and there are days when you are exhausted and maybe even grumpy. Love says, "I choose you!" on those days and every day in-between. We are excited to celebrate with this young couple. 

I can only imagine the excitement of the bride and groom as the countdown to "Mr. and Mrs." begins. We saw the bride's parents get married. And, we remember when the Bride and her sister were dedicated at church. To see her grow up and into the woman she has become makes our hearts full. To see her love and be loved fully and deeply in return... it is as good as it gets. 

On the other side of the coin, my Mama's best friend (along with Aunt Judy) went to heaven and her life was celebrated on Sunday and Monday. I was unable to attend, but I have a link and will watch it this weekend. We called her "Aunt" Marilyn because "Mrs." was too formal for one so close but we needed the respect of a title. We went through life with several "Aunts" and "Uncles" that were by love and not by birth or marriage. (We had extra Grandparents, too.) Aunt Marilyn helped Mama with our weddings and she was always present.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son." -Matthew 22:2

There are earthly celebrations and heavenly ones, too. Both remind us that love is truly the greatest truly a gift. 

Today, I am grateful for a weekend wedding. 

The Unexpected

 

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 274: Today, I am grateful for the unexpected.   

This picture cracked me up. 

"I'll be honest, I never in a million years thought I'd catch one of you guys. But right now, I need you to help me get down."

 Our Daisy Mae's biggest nemesis is a squirrel in the backyard. That squirrel gets quite sassy with her. She never loses interest. It is as if she is sure she will catch it one of these days. She won't. She simply is not fast enough and cannot climb trees. 

If she did catch it, it would be unexpected. There are times that we get the unexpected and are not quite sure what to do with it. The unexpected often slows us down, which can be a good thing. There are times we need to pause and pivot. 

The Bible is full of the unexpected. I think of Mary and Joseph and the unexpected circumstances around her pregnancy and the birth of Jesus. They became masters of the pause and pivot when the unexpected came their way. 

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28

To be called, carried, or guided into the unexpected can feel like a test. The test often becomes the testimony. 

Today, I am grateful for the unexpected.