Milestones

...and she was fabulous!!!

Everything in me fought the temptation to withdraw into my shell this week. You see, I haven't had my own children, but God has given me a few whose lives have been woven into my heart, and I find myself so often struggling to know exactly how to express my love. Last Thursday, I shared a story about a pepper shaker and how a tiny tap had broken the shaker, but I didn't know all the pepper had poured out. I pondered, in my heart, the desire that I have to stand firm when life bumps me around a bit, because I don't want to lose the flavor that I have been given to live my life with. That pepper shaker came to mind a few times during the week and I found myself stepping forward instead of back and my courage grew as the week progressed, and today, I was able to go up the mountain...the Langlois mountain, where one of those young people so very dear to me was to be wed. Among the flickr photos, there is a photo of the bridesmaids as they watched the bride come down the aisle that just melts my heart. Their love for her shines right through their eyes.

It was perfectly reasonable for her to plan an outdoor wedding at a mountain resort considering the very long spell of sunshine we've been having. She had no way of knowing that today would be the first day of that dense, misty drizzle that keeps Oregon so green the rest of the year.

Every plan, it seems, had to be adjusted and, once again, several of us found ourselves pitching in to help bring things together while the wedding party prepared themselves for the magical moment when their lives are joined as one. The guests, the wedding party, everyone worked together to make this a moment to remember.

I am so grateful for the answered prayers, the encouragement and the love that flowed through this week and this day, and so very glad I chose to stay out of my shell and just enjoy the gifts I've been given. This young woman is one of the true treasures in my life!