My Mother-of-the-Groom Motto
My son recently got married. Weddings are exciting and also filled with so many points of possible conflict. This wedding was extra special because it was his second one. Sometimes no matter how hard you try and no matter what you do things just don’t go as you had planned. In the worst of days we had encountered before this day, I had seen a picture of what God would do in the future, and finally the day came. Our son was getting married to a beautiful gal who was beyond all we could have ever hoped or dreamed of.
We traveled to Texas for the wedding and were staying in a hotel room.
My motto was to not make it about me. There is enough stress surrounding weddings and the last thing I wanted to do was to add to the stress.
The day of the wedding I did all I could to look my best. I looked in the mirror at a woman who had gone through years of beautiful memories along with painful challenges and noticed the “grandma” looking back at me. The lines showed the happy smiles and the gut-wrenching tears. Putting down the makeup brushes, curling iron, and under-eye cream I declared, “That’s it, that’s about the best you’re gonna do.”
It’s not about you, remember?
When our son returned to our hotel I was oh so proud of myself for being ready.
As we headed out I swung the chain of my clutch purse over my shoulder and walked tall thinking, “You’re doing splendid. You were on time and you’re calm. Look at me.”
We met our daughter, son-in-law, and our two toddler grandkids in the hallway and we marched toward our cars to head to the wedding.
All on schedule.
As I headed toward our car, I tried to take the chain from my purse off my shoulder but it wouldn’t budge. I pulled. My daughter yelled, “Mom, stop! The chain is hooked to your dress!” My dear son-in-law walked over and tried to release me from the clutches of the chain of my clutch purse which was entangled in the lace of my dress.
I felt panicked as my son hollered, “Come on, Mom, we gotta go.” He didn’t know why I was stopped and toying with my purse.
My darling son-in-law gave up fearing he would tear my dress. Way above the call of a son-in-law, don’t you think? I was thankful he tried but his big hands were no match for the clutch.
Not sure what was worse the embarrassment or realizing that in an instant I had made it about me and my motto was kaput.
My husband tried to release me from the evil purse with no avail. At this point I’m thinking I can either hold the purse under my arm throughout the day or rip it off and try to find another dress or wear a sweater covering the hole.
We had to go so I got in the car.
As we drove my youngest son worked on freeing me from my purse prison and somehow he got me unhooked. As soon as he said, “I got it,” we realized it was hooked in another place.
I was doing deep breathing and laughing at myself for how ridiculous my situation was.
My the time we got to the church I was free.
And my botched motto was back on track.
Sometimes no matter how hard you try your plans just don’t go as planned. My son hadn’t planned on being married more than once but God took pain and sorrow and turned it into joy and happiness beyond all we could ask or think.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
– Proverbs 3:5-6
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