Light, Love, Hope

Today is my 15th wedding anniversary!

I can still recall just about every moment of our wedding day.

Dressed in lacy white holding my father’s arm with one hand while holding my big bouquet of roses in my other hand, we made our way down the aisle toward my nervous and anxious groom.  He was a sight to see in his black tuxedo, all polished like a brand new penny.  Our eyes met, smiles formed upon our lips, and each step took me closer to the man I vowed to spend the rest of my life with.

This day I will marry my best friend; 

the one I laugh with, live for, dream with, love … 

That verse was included in our wedding invitations.  And today it still rings true.

We went into this marriage with great expectations, hoping our love would not change, grow cold or bitter, but would instead grow deeper and stronger with each passing year.  We vowed to stand by each other’s side in sickness, in health, for richer, for poorer; the whole nine yards.  Planning every detail of our wedding made it all the more special to us, even incorporating the “hands ceremony.”

With our eyes locked upon the other, firmly holding hands, the preacher read off a ritual similar to the below:

These are the hands of your best friend.

They are holding yours on your wedding day

as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow and forever.

 

These are the hands that will work alongside yours

as together you build your future.

 

These are the hands that will passionately love you

and cherish you through the years,

and with the slightest touch will comfort you like no other.

 

These are the hands that will hold you

when fear or grief wracks your mind.

 

These are the hands that will give you

strength when you need it.

 

May these hands always reach out with

love, tenderness and respect.

 

May these hands continue to build

a loving relationship that lasts a lifetime.

 

What a beautiful symbol of the union of two hearts, two lives, and two souls.

Happy anniversary to my love!

Who needs a reason to spend time doing something your children love?  Why not do it … just because?  No special occasion needed.  No other reason than just wanting to spend quality time together!

While my oldest daughter slipped off to meet with a church regarding incorporating her special effects makeup into their Easter program, my youngest and I slipped off to the fine art’s center!

Pulling on our aprons and typing pretty bows behind us, we glanced at the multi-colored paint before us.  The canvas was clear and white, but pretty soon it all came to life.

Our days start out just like that.  Each morning we are given a clean slate.  The day is bright with all kinds of possibilities.  While we may not know what all we will face during the course of that day, we can choose what light to paint it in.  Do we smear black and gray onto our pretty white canvas of the day, determined to remain in our dreary mood when something we don’t like happens to us?  Or do we purposely pick up pastel colors with our paint brushes and try to paint sunshine and rainbows instead of gloomy skies?

I realize things happen which are completely beyond our control.  We have to give ourselves some time to adjust when things are not going our way.  I’m not saying put on a happy face and pretend there isn’t any bad in the world.  What I am saying, though, is don’t remain in your bad frame of mind.  Get out and do something about the issue, if you can.  Then once you have exhausted all of your efforts, rest in the knowledge you did the very best you possibly could.  Yes, the matter still remains out of your control, but you gave it your best shot.

That’s why I paint with my little one.  For that period of time, nothing can intrude upon my thoughts for I am safe and secure in my zone with my daughter painting our little hearts out.

When things happen that are beyond your control, do something you CAN control … like paint, plant flowers, rearrange your living room furniture.   Do something so you don’t remain in your powerless state.  Taken back control over that which you can control and leave the rest to God.

We go about our daily lives making plans, but some times those plans fall through.   We have to revise the original plan, and go to Plan B.  Often times, we don’t like anything that takes us off course.  Once in our minds, we want things to go our way.  When it doesn’t, it has the potential of sending us spirarling out of control.

Despite our plans, God is ultimately in control anyway.  This is something we all need to realize.  We can plan things down to the minute, and yet something will come along that will change everything!

We’re sitting in limbo currently over a situation.  For the planner that I am, this is really getting on my nerves!  We had plans for the latter part of this week, but with things so up in the air medically, only God knows for sure if we will be able to move forward.

And so I pray for acceptance of what is to come.  I try to adjust my mind and my attitude so this doesn’t completely deflate me if things don’t go as originally planned.

I have to trust that God knows best, and His revised plans will be for the best.