[A word -- I know it's Wordless Wednesday and I'm breaking the rules -- from Mama. Pictured here are delicious chocolate truffle favors from my son and daughter-in-law's wedding. For more information about these yummy handmade delights, click on this link: Bluejay Chocolates.]
©2012 mamasemptynest.wordpress.com
“Once in a while,
Right in the middle of an ordinary life,
Love gives us a fairy tale.” ~ Anonymous
It really did seem like a fairy tale.
Amid fragrant, gorgeous flowers and glowing candlelight, there stood the handsome prince, tall and oh, so charming.
When the beautiful princess arrived attired in a stunning gown befitting the ball, she created a vision of loveliness as all eyes turned to her.
At the first glimpse of his princess slowly making her way to join him, the prince’s eyes filled with tears at the sight of his true love.
A bevy of lovely lasses arrayed in flowing gowns of purple, the color of royalty, served as ladies in waiting. A gaggle of good-looking gentlemen, spruced up and dashing, escorted the fair maidens.
There was even a chariot to whisk them away to the grand ball that followed where there would be feasting, toasting, and merry dancing.
It was my son’s wedding just a few weeks ago – a fairy tale wedding with a happily ever after ending beginning.
It’s taken me some time to be able to write about this celebration. I needed to process, weigh, and consider the feelings that washed over me throughout the wedding weekend and since.
Not because it wasn’t a joyous occasion, it truly was! We were exuberant with happiness, welcoming a new member to our family, so very pleased and delighted for the newly married couple.
The wedding ceremony proved beautiful and meaningful as the two of them pledged their love to one another until death do they part.
Later, we feasted on sumptuous food, toasted the happy couple, and danced the night away at the reception with family and friends.
Yes, it did seem like a fairy tale, but the love that permeated their wedding day was much more real than fairy tale love. It was love with purpose.
Even though rain descended on the wedding day, sunshine reigned in our hearts and love was the conduit. Like sunbeams reflecting onto a piece of glass and spreading out in multiple rays, love cast its light in several directions.
My son’s best guy friends all gathered to cheer on and support their friend as he took the biggest step in his life into matrimony. Every one of those young men has been a blessing to my son and to our family as well.
Love infused my already emotion-laden heart when my son showed me the cuff links adorning his shirt. Not just any fancy cuff links. Especially treasured ones.
Cuff links that once adorned my father’s dress shirts. The ones that my beloved dad, before he passed away, gifted to my son, the grandson he named.
The fact that my son chose to wear those special items of jewelry linked more than just his shirt cuffs, they linked present to the past. Love remembered and honored from grandfather to grandson.
And love – that once in lifetime kind of love that waits for the right one –bestowed itself when my son’s bride quietly and privately presented the purity ring, which graced her finger until her wedding day, to her groom.
God bestowed His blessings of love in sunshiny increments that day in so many ways, but I first caught a glimpse of it the morning of the wedding.
Our family traveled to the state next door for the nuptials. The evening prior to the ceremony, we all enjoyed the rehearsal and a scrumptious rehearsal dinner.
Afterwards, everyone helped themselves to an ice cream sundae bar graciously hosted by the bride’s parents at their home.
The next morning – the wedding day - we texted our son, who was staying in the same hotel as us, to join us. Nine of us piled into cars in pursuit of breakfast together.
Much discussion ensued as to where we would eat and after several changes of mind, we wound up at a family style restaurant nearby. Totally random and totally unplanned, we thought.
As our waitress Shirley good-naturedly took our orders, my sister casually mentioned that we were celebrating her nephew’s wedding that day. Shirley congratulated my son warmly.
We stuffed ourselves with breakfast food, shared stories and teasing, and enjoyed each other around the tables pushed together to accommodate us. As we prepared to leave, our waitress reappeared at our table and asked, “Would you do something for me?”
Sure, we answered, not knowing that she would actually do something for us instead. She asked if she could give us a blessing on our son’s wedding day. We assented, and right there in the middle of a Bob Evans Family Restaurant, that waitress asked us to stand in a circle, holding hands.
She joined hands with us and prayed the sweetest words over our day. She asked the Lord on behalf of our family for a beautiful wedding day for our son/brother/nephew/brother-in-law/friend and his bride.
She prayed for blessings for their new life together, for their children, and their grandchildren. Her prayer for a total stranger and his bride, my son and soon to be daughter-in-law, moved me to tears and prompted me to give Shirley a huge hug as we departed.
We hurried away to prepare for our son’s big day, but I couldn’t stop marveling at that waitress and how obedient she was to the Lord’s prompting. I believe He tapped her gently on the shoulder and whispered in her ear, “Pray for them.”
And she, in faith and obedience, did so. In front of other patrons, her fellow workers, and us. What a walking testimony she provided to each one of us that day.
That testimony was just another example of love – yet another ray of light piercing the rainy day. Even rain and a chill in the air could not dampen the joy and love we all experienced that amazing day. A love that is real. A love with purpose. A love story written by the Almighty God.
Yes, it seemed like a fairy tale, but it was real. Really wonderful. Really blessed. Really love.
©2012 mamasemptynest.wordpress.com
©2012 mamasemptynest.wordpress.com
Copyright ©2012 mamasemptynest.wordpress.com
Whew!! Our middle daughter’s big day has come and gone.
Mama and Papa are back in the empty nest trying to rest and recoup as best they can and still go to work.
Mama’s taking some time to get things squared away (our phrase from Papa’s army days!) and get geared up for the next event, but I promise I’ll be back to blogging soon and posting some photos from the wedding.
In the meantime, this song keeps playing in my mind:
The Party’s Over
The party’s over
It’s time to call it a day
They’ve burst your pretty balloon
And taken the moon away
It’s time to wind up the masquerade
Just make your mind up the piper must be paid
The party’s over
The candles flicker and dim
You danced and dreamed through the night
It seemed to be right just being with him
Now you must wake up, all dreams must end
Take off your makeup, the party’s over
It’s all over, my friend
Copyright ©2012 mamasemptynest.wordpress.com
It’s beginning to look a lot like wedding central.
The countdown for wedding number one (our middle daughter) is now down to two digits. The planning is mostly accomplished, now we’re down to the ‘doing.’
We’re making lists and checking them twice, happily marking our progress. Church, reception venue, photographer, and DJ were booked long ago.
All the fashion accoutrements needed for the bride to make her grand appearance are purchased as well as the bridesmaid dresses, shoes, and gifts. We haven’t forgotten the groom and his cadre of men, so tuxes have been ordered.
Mama’s got her fancy dress but is still searching for shoes. Papa’s been fitted for his tuxedo. Invitations are printed, assembled, stamped, and being addressed. Wedding food tasting is on the agenda for this weekend and then flower choosing. Dress fittings are also scheduled.
Yet there is still much to do and the bevy of wedding preparations yet to be completed swirl around in my brain like a whirlpool while ideas dart in and out of my thoughts like fireflies flashing in the dark night.
And then I’m reminded that I will be caught in this wedding web two more times this year when son and oldest daughter also marry. It’s enough to make me dotty.
So what are my thoughts in the middle of all this much ado about weddings today in my book called Opportunity? I awakened this morning singing the following ditty to the tune of “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas:”
It’s beginning to look a lot like a wedding,
Everywhere you go.
Take a look at the dining room,
Where much of the decorations loom
The kind that make you smile and think of love.
It’s beginning to look a lot like a wedding,
Bridal goods strewn throughout the place
But the prettiest sight to see is the bride that soon will be
Beautifully all dressed in lace.
A pair of bright yellow shoes and list of who’s who
Are accomplished on the ‘to-do’ things.
There’s still a cake to be baked and favors to make
And a cleaning for that sparkly ring.
And Mom and Dad can hardly believe their daughter is getting wed.
It’s beginning to look a lot like a wedding
Everywhere you look;
There’s a shower to hold and vows to be told,
And hair appointments to book.
It’s beginning to look a lot like a wedding;
Soon the bells will start,
And the thing that will make them ring is the happiness that sings
Right within your heart.
Copyright ©2012 mamasemptynest.wordpress.com
This is NOT the one!
Surrounded by mirrored walls and racks upon racks of white, cream and ivory-colored gowns with lace, appliques, beads, shimmers and glimmers, bling-bling and what-nots, my youngest daughter, my middle child, said yes to the dress last Friday.
Venturing into the city, we met my daughter at her apartment and with Maid of Honor sister and best friend bridesmaid in tow, we browsed for a wedding gown and bridesmaid dresses at a bridal salon.
While we sat in a row of cushy chairs waiting for our dear one to appear in a vision of loveliness, one of us remarked, “This is like the TV show Say Yes to the Dress!” The experience proved to be almost as surreal for this mother of the bride as being on a television show might be.
On one hand, I was so happy and eager to watch daughter try on bridal gowns as this is her dream come true. But on the other hand, I could hardly believe this was actually happening. How did my little girl grow up so quickly?! How could she be old enough to become someone’s wife?!
I’m fairly certain both my daughters expected tears from me while viewing the betrothed bedecked in wedding garb. Truly, part of me did want to weep during this bittersweet moment – joyful with a twinge of melancholy – but reflecting back on the moment, I believe I was in denial. It just didn’t seem real.
But real it was. And believe it or not, this sentimental ol’ Mama did not cry. As my beautiful daughter stepped out of the dressing room each time with exquisite gowns that fit her to a T, her sister, friend and I oohed and aahed and gave opinions.
I know my dear daughter well. I could tell by her body language whether she liked the gown she modeled or not. Her face smiled, but her body said no, this isn’t the one. Even when the sales attendants told her how lovely she looked, or sister or friend would exclaim “So pretty,” I could discern each dress was not her cup of tea.
My middle child is a no nonsense person who admires simplicity for the most part. She’s kind of a no frills girl, so when she told me several weeks ago that she thought she wanted a lacy gown, I was mildly surprised that she desired something fancy. But then I realized that this child, now grown woman, has always loved things of old.
As a little girl, she loved visiting antique shops or colonial style homes or museums. I very distinctly remember her announcing “I wish I could live here” in a 1700’s era home we were touring. So a vintage look is right up her alley and wedding gowns of lace have a distinct vintage feel.
The first delicate, gossamer-like wedding gown which floated down over her head to settle onto her body, made her beam. I could tell by the way she looked that this dress was definitely in the running. She tried on several more after that, but came back to dress number one. When the bridal consultant added a veil to the ensemble, daughter revealed, “This veil is exactly what I pictured!”
Sometimes, she can be a tad indecisive (a trait she no doubt inherited from her mother), so she surprised us all when the sales girl asked daughter, “Is this the one?” and she said a decisive, resounding yes! We clapped, we smiled, she glowed.
After we got the ordering accomplished, oldest daughter and best friend began trying on several bridesmaid dresses. They weighed in on their favorite but the opinion of the two other bridesmaid friends will be consulted before the final selection is chosen.
My daughter’s dream wedding gown is ordered; we left the bridal shop with her chosen veil and accessories. Along with the church and reception site reservations, we accomplished another important aspect of wedding planning.
I feel happy and excited yet a bit numb. I keep placating myself that I have an entire year to get used to the idea that my joyful, little rambunctious bundle of energy, who is now a grown-up beautiful, compassionate and gracious young woman of 25, will promise herself to a young man who vows he will love and cherish her for life.
It is Page 17 in Chapter 5 of my book of Opportunity and I’ve decided that in the coming year, I will cherish each moment I’m given to spend with my middle daughter who really is preparing to leave Mama’s Empty Nest to begin a new life of her own with her beloved one.
It’s okay. I’m not going to cry…..yet.
©2011 mamasemptynest.wordpress.com
Mama’s Empty Nest has been absent the last few days.
How many days can you miss posting on your blog before you are considered a truant?
Does WordPress or your readers send a truant officer out after you to see what’s going on and haul your sorry self back to cyberland?
I don’t have a doctor’s excuse because I haven’t been sick. I can’t get my mom to write an excuse for me either because she and my dad are up in heaven where you don’t need excuses for anything. I can’t even claim my cat ate my homework.
I’m sincerely hoping I haven’t lost my readers due to my absence. From my site stats, it looks like few (emphasis on few) people are even checking my blog to see if I’ve written a new post. So I am a little concerned that some readers have drifted away while I was otherwise preoccupied.
So what’s my reason for so much inactivity on my blog?
Well….I could just say I’ve been busy. (But that’s a little evasive.)
I could say Easter preparations occupied my time. (But that’s untrue.) Only one bird came back to the nest for the holiday; we had a very simple meal and I didn’t even unpack the Easter decorations, let alone put them out for display.
I could say I don’t have any interesting ideas to write about. (Not true either, since there are lots of unwritten blog posts swirling around in my head.)
I could say I’ve been unmotivated to write. (There might be a smidgen of truth to that one.)
Or I could say my laptop has been acting up. (Again untrue.) It’s been fired up and surfing jauntily all over the net while it rests on my lap and attracts my attention more than ever before.
So I might as well just ‘fess up. There’s actually a good reason for my blog inactivity. Another past time has garnered my full attention in my non-working hours. Middle daughter was home for the entire Easter weekend and we were doing a full press….on wedding planning!
And at this point, let me just declare that I am still not over the sticker shock of the cost of weddings.
So on this 26th page of Chapter 4 in my book of Opportunity, I’m looking fervently for opportunities for Mama and Papa to give dear daughter a beautiful but cost-efficient wedding of her dreams. I’ll keep you posted on that seemingly impossible task.
©2011 mamasemptynest.wordpress.com
Fifty years ago on this day I donned an ice-blue flouncy, fancy dress that stuck out like a ballerina’s tutu exposing my little stick legs.
Pale blue lacy socks and white straw shoes embellished with flowers dressed up my feet. On top of my curled, bouncy hair rested a crown of flowers and ribbon. In my white gloved tiny hands, I clutched a basket of red rose petals.
Fifty years ago today, I was six years old and couldn’t wait to fulfill the important duty I had. Wedding day had arrived for my beloved oldest sister and her handsome young cowboy and I served as her flower girl.
I viewed my job of sprinkling rose petals down the church aisle for my beautiful sister-bride as a serious assignment. Our mother had lovingly made, ironed and starched a cloth aisle runner for the occasion, and I carefully deposited each flower petal, one at a time, just so on that avenue of pristine white.
That is one memory I have of my oldest sister’s wedding day. I recall gazing with awe at her because she looked like a princess in her beautiful, lacy hoop-skirted bridal gown and fingertip veil.
I remember not being too pleased with brother-in-law’s little brother, the ring bearer, who in my eyes just did not know how to do anything properly. I knew we should follow suit like the rest of the bridal party and depart the church sanctuary arm in arm after the ceremony ended. He apparently did not, so I grabbed his arm (even though I disliked him) and marched him back down the aisle with me.
I remember it was oh, so cold that evening as we traveled to the reception hall where we ate cake and ice cream and drank punch. Weddings were a lot simpler back then, no elaborate dinner menu, no live band or DJ spinning tune after tune, no over-the-top decorations, but what a fun party I thought it was!
And I remember that when it was time for my sister and her new husband to depart for their honeymoon, I couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t take me along! I cried that night because my sister/bed buddy left me.
We lived in a two-bedroom house at the time and all three of us girls shared one bedroom. Oldest sister and I also shared a bed and I missed her that night, so much that I took her high school senior picture to sleep with me.
It seems almost incomprehensible that 50 years have come and gone since that day. But today my beloved sister and the man, whom I have come to love over all these years like a brother, are celebrating their golden wedding anniversary.
They have reached the golden years - retirement. As I write this, they are basking in the sunshine and warmth of a southwestern desert where they are enjoying a few months away from their home. And I wish them a beautiful day.
I hope today they bask not just in the warmth of the sun, but also in the warmth of knowing they have accomplished much – 50 years of marriage, two loving daughters, grandchildren and a life together - not always perfect, full of ups and downs - but still together for half a century. How many American married couples reach that milestone?
On this day of golden anniversary wishes, my hope and prayer for them is that they may take a moment to reflect back on their five decades together and be thankful for each blessing they’ve been granted.
Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary, beloved sister and brother! May your hearts be filled with affection, contentment, peace and health. I love you both so much!
I am very grateful for both of you on this 20th page of Chapter One in my book of Opportunity.
©2011 mamasemptynest.wordpress.com
Someone once wrote, ”Love isn’t love til you give it away.”
Love. A myriad of works of literature, be it poems, plays, essays or novels, has been written on the subject of love.
It is the theme of countless musical lyrics and the angst of many a late night discussion. I’m pretty sure that there are close to 700 references to love in my guidebook for life — God’s Holy Word, the Bible.
In the English language, we only have one word for this emotion, which is such a shame because there are so many manifestations of love. But before I digress from the idea swirling around in my mind, today I want to share thoughts on romantic love and weddings.
I haven’t read much Shakespeare since a class on his works way back in college, but one line from his play, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” found a permanent little niche in my brain. “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind….” There’s more to the line, but that’s the part I remember.
When I think of romantic love, this quote personifies true love to me. True love is as deep as the fathoms of the ocean and is vastly different than infatuation, which is like the shallow edge 
of the shoreline, where the waves rush in and knock you flat on your can, then just as quickly rush back out and leave you sitting in a pile of quickly shifting sand.
True love takes time. True love involves mind and soul, not just body. True love is precious, something to be revered and guarded and cherished. And true love lasts for a lifetime.
It’s been my privilege to attend a couple of weddings this past year, one just yesterday. My son was a groomsman in the first and best man in the recent one. I marvel that both of these grooms, close friends of my son, are now mature men, with college degrees in hand, careers already initiated, goals planned, and now each has chosen a lovely partner for life, a wife.
Both of these young men have lounged in my family room over the years, engrossed in video games; watched tons of movies on our TV; played games with our family, and slept on our couch. The groom in yesterday’s wedding has been a part of our lives for quite some time; he’s like another member of our family.
In my son’s best man toast, he even joked that the two of them have been like twins. My son and the groom have shared a friendship since 7th grade. They’ve gone to school together, played sports together, celebrated and commiserated with each other, and were college roommates.
So it was with great happiness my husband and I watched this particular young man exchange his wedding vows with his beautiful bride yesterday. Wedding celebrations are naturally joyful. I’ve attended several weddings in my day, but never have I witnessed more meaningful nuptials than these last two ceremonies.
What made both of these weddings so very special was that both young couples are believers in Christ and they made their relationship with Him a vital and integral part of their wedding service. Jesus Christ was definitely at the center of these two weddings.
Yesterday, it seemed like Jesus was standing in the lovely, flower bedecked gazebo with the bride and groom, nodding His head in approval, exuding His love to these beautiful children of His, and showering His blessings on their union.
And that made an amazing difference. The marriage rituals were sacred; it wasn’t just two young people repeating words, saying “yeah, yeah, I do” so they could run off to live together legally.
Amid overcast skies and even a rain shower, love radiated like sunbeams from these two betrothed. I am positively convinced the two of them are experiencing true love, the kind of love that looks not just with the eyes, but with the mind and soul.
There’s a reason a wedding is called holy matrimony. God created marriage. Jesus told us in the book of Mark, chapter 10: “But at the beginning of creation God made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
He desires that we put Him at the very center of this sacred relationship. Wise married couples do just that.
So I don’t just offer words of congratulations to this special newlywed couple, I offer prayers of thanksgiving because they know Jesus personally, prayers of hope that they continue to put Him first, and prayers of blessing for love that lasts a lifetime.
Yoked in holy matrimony with a fellow believer in Christ, Jesus at the center of that relationship, and love that lasts for a lifetime — that’s my prayer for my own children as well. And that’s the glory of love. ♥
©2010 mamasemptynest.wordpress.com
