Thursday, March 18, 2010

Our Journey

Today is Writer's Workshop at Mama Kat's and this is the promt I chose.

1.) If you had to relive a day in your life what day would it be?

This one for me is a no brainer. It would be my wedding day.

Bright and early my bridesmaids and I woke up and headed off to meet for breakfast. While I'm sitting in traffic I get a call on my cell that one of my bridesmaids had been in an accident and to hurry to the restaurant where we were meeting. Upon arrival I see my friend in a parking space with no visible damage to her car. She was inside balling and a police officer knelt down beside the window seemingly to be consoling her. As I walk up he smiles and asks if I'm the bride. I told him I was and he begins to explain that my friend had hit the car next to her and broke a piece off the the lens cover for the turn signal. He then explains that the only reason he was there was because he had been in the parking space right in front of her when she was pulling in. I just stared at him and asked if that was it? He begins to laugh and said yes. I look at my friend still balling her eyes out in her car and I went into hysterics. I was the one who was supposed to lose it today not her. Oh it was so funny.

After failing to find the owners of the car we left a note on their window explaining what happened and to call with a price for a new turn signal cover, which they never called. We then headed off to my mother in laws house where we were to be married. Yes my wedding was a back yard wedding. Her garden is absolutely beautiful and she had more then enough room to accommodate everyone. Getting there was the problem. There is only one way into the town we were getting married at, and its a two lane road down a mountain into the valley. When we got to the pass we sat in traffic for I'd say 30 min before we started moving. As we headed down we see road construction vehicles everywhere. We stopped to ask what was going on and they said it was in fact under construction and they would be shutting down the road for 20 min intervals throughout the day. Again all I could do was laugh.

When we finally made it to the house I found my mom had also arrived and was in a panic. You see my mom and I had spent the last year and a half planning, making decorations, we even did all the food and we did so well until the day of the wedding. For some reason it didn't dawn on either one of us that I wouldn't be available to help set everything up because I would be busy getting ready. Luckily my father in law and his wife had arrived early and we enlisted their help as well as my mother in law.

Two O'clock rolled around, the time set in the invitations for the wedding to begin and only half of our guests had arrived. The rest were still sitting in the seemingly endless line of traffic waiting to get into the valley. We postponed the wedding until three and by then everyone had been able to make it.

The actual ceremony was a blur for me. What I can recall is seeing my husband who never chews gum, nervously chomping away, looking in his eyes as I walked down the isle and seeing the tears there. Glancing at my mom who I had told myself I wouldn't look at or I'd start crying and seeing her smiling but tear stained cheeks. Trying to light the unity candle but the wind had picked up and refused to allow us to light it. I wound up after 15 min of my brothers each trying and various people from the audience coming up and offering assistance, just pretending it had lit and carrying on from there. This brought many laughs from the crowd which set me to giggling through the rest of the ceremony. At the end we were pronounced man and wife. He kissed me and that was the best kiss ever. We turned and walked down off of the stage beginning our now twelve year journey into marriage. We've had our ups and downs as all couples do, but with God leading the way and our willingness to follow I think we may just make it.


Mama's Losin' It

Monday, March 15, 2010

Beginnings

There is always a first for everything and for me in writing this first blog starts my journey on what I hope is a life time of learning. Being a Christian my whole life led me to a stale monotonous life of routines. Doing things because that's what a Christian does, like attending worship service or taking my kids to Wednesday night children's activities. You know the type right? Get up on Sunday get dressed, hair and kids perfect. Perfect smile on my face. Singing the songs, and giving offering. Talking with the other ladies about potlucks and kids programs. Then coming home to the ugly mess that I lived everyday where God was not present. I was asleep. I was asleep in my faith and asleep in my life. Everything was running on auto pilot. There was no purpose there was no drive.

One day last November just after thanksgiving I found myself on a drive through the mountains with my 2 year old son. It was a bright sunny day. Snow was covering the forest in a blanket of twinkling diamonds. Christmas songs were playing on the radio. It was one of those warm happy moments when everything seemed just right. I started singing to one of the songs "Sweet little Jesus boy" a favorite of mine. Like a ton of bricks the words to that song hit me. "Sweet little Jesus boy, we made you be born in a manger, Sweet little holy child we didn't know who you were". I'm not really sure why that song and why that moment opened my eyes but, I just felt such over whelming sorrow for the waste of his gift in my life. I was not living the life, not talking the talk or walking the walk. Jesus died on the cross for me for my sins and instead of spreading that joyous wonderful news I was to caught up in the petty fights my husband and I had. Or what I would wear to so and so's party. I was more interested in impressing my friends with my kids outfits or grades at school then in what they actually knew about Jesus. I realised that outside of church we never even mentioned Jesus save for the prayer we said once a year for Christmas dinner.

Before the song was over I had started weeping and eventually it turned into an uncontrollable sob. I started praying right there in the car on that mountain road for forgiveness. I decided from that day on I would be praying for God to teach me how to love him. I would pray that Jesus would change my life that I would live my life applying his teachings everyday.

I am now awake, I pray I never fall asleep again. The numerous changes and blessings that have been happening everyday since my fateful drive have been staggering. I thank God everyday for opening my eyes and pray that my love for my lord and saviour will continue to grow each and every day.