United in Christ

We're in recovery. The past few weeks have been full, the last few days intense. I'm physically and emotionally tired, but I'm rejoicing spiritually.

One of our dear friends and a member of our church fellowship was married on Saturday. The wedding was quite an event. Guests came from (literally) all over the country. I'm not sure what the final count was, but the expected attendance was well over 500 (maybe closer to 700 or 800). Friends came together to help the family accomplish their goals for a weekend of blessing for all involved. And it was beautiful on all counts.

Four big events... rehearsal and dinner (approximately 200 people?), wedding ceremony, reception and church on Resurrection Sunday (not in our home this week). It was indeed a full weekend.

Our family pitched in on some background kinds of things, mostly set up/clean up projects. My official role had to do with the flower girls. I had the privilege of being responsible for all things flower girl related. Working with the girls and their families was a delight. The girls were precious... and beautiful... all 19 of them!

Here's the general way the day went for the flower girl committee...

My daughter Hannah and I left our home in plenty of time to make the 45 minute drive to the church and still arrive by 9:00 in the morning. (As we were walking out the door we learned that one of my younger children had a sick stomach... for the third time this week.) Hannah finished steaming dresses while I set up the room with games, books, toys and puzzles to keep 19 little girls occupied. A friend of the bride and two helpers styled each girl's hair... everyone had curls! A light lunch... making sure everyone had an opportunity to go potty... changing into dresses without damaging hair... attaching hair wreaths in the hair... taking some little girl's potty again... it was quite a process. We waited patiently for official pictures. When it was our turn we formed a line and played an easy game of Follow the Leader down the long, long hall, out the door and through the dried mud to the beautifully landscaped flowers. (Did I mention that all the girls were barefoot?) Huge smiles and sparkling eyes indicated how much the girls loved participating in the wedding excitement and having their pictures made with the bride.

Once the pictures were finished, we headed back to the "flower girl room." We had about an hour before the actual 3:00 wedding was scheduled to start. The goal was to keep 19 little girls between the ages of 4 and 11 clean and happy... and their dresses clean and fluffy... until time for the wedding. We sat down "as if it were a cold morning and we were standing over the heater vent with our dresses poofing up." We played some "do what I do/copycat" kinds of games for quite a while, sang a little bit and enjoyed some chit-chat. At one point we all stuck our feet into the middle of the circle to show off our painted toenails. (Remember they were barefoot for the ceremony.) On the right you can barely see my black skirt... and my daughter just the other side of me, holding onto her toes. Praise the Lord... everyone stayed clean and happy!

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I'd like to say that all went like clockwork and everyone was perfect, and it really was pretty close. We did have one little incident in which the youngest flower girl fell as the ceremony was starting. She ended up in the emergency room with a concussion. (For the record, she was sitting with her parents at the time. I was not the responsible adult when the accident happened.) The next youngest flower girl (age 4) was part of the unscripted entertainment during the ceremony. She scooted from the bottom row up three rows to the top row and over to the feet of the bridesmaids. Then she scooted back to her place. Then she shifted over near the bride's long train and veil... and decided to "study" it for a while, sometimes picking it up and sometimes hiking her fluffy backside in the air while putting her nose to the ground for a better look. I tried my best to get her attention for half an hour of the service, but she wouldn't make eye contact with me. Everyone else thought she was extremely cute and entertaining. (One of the bridesmaids... one of the bride's sisters... even said the little flower girl was the only reason she was able to relax during the ceremony.) However, I'm sure you'd like to know that the cute little girl's mother... ME!... was not so impressed. It would, of course, have been just precious if it had been someone else's daughter. (Note to self: ask bride's mother for a copy of the video since I missed much of the ceremony.)

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See the cute little flower girl on the far right of the bottom row in the third picture? By the time the couple is introduced (in the fifth picture) as Mr. and Mrs. she's very much a participant. The good thing is that when they're little such things can still be considered cute. We're just grateful she didn't decide to have a conversation with the bride during the ceremony!

This photo shows the handsome couple surrounded by the flower girls. The precious little "angel" in the bottom right-hand corner is mine.

It was a very full and exhausting weekend, but it was a joy to participate with so many like-minded people who enjoyed serving in a spirit of love. I know the bride's family was blessed, but I was also blessed as I witnessed the family of Christ coming together for this covenant wedding.

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Lord, your blessings are continually before me. I am again amazed and encouraged by the way members of the body of Christ so easily come together to serve one another. Even those who didn't know each other before this weekend served side-by-side in a spirit of love and unity. What a beautiful picture of a family! May our family function in the same way, demonstrating to the world Your plan of loving and serving others. And Father, I pray Your special blessing on Justin and Melissa as they begin their lives together. You've already surrounded them with people to love and encourage them. May their lives continue to be a testimony of Your faithfulness and goodness.