Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Remember to Forget

Unexpectedly, I just remembered that I forgot to lower my blusher.
It was awhile ago.  Dad was walking me down the aisle towards my 12 year old groom.  I felt that kind of happy that packed my chest full of air so tight that if I exhaled I would release an embarrassing gasp or burst into tears.  I'm not sure how I made it down the length of the church on one breath, but I did.  At the end of our little walk, Dad bent down (not as far as he normally would, thanks to my four-inch heels) and kissed my cheek.
Without lifting my veil.
Because it wasn't there.
In all the pre-wedding primping, I had forgotten to place the veil in front of my face.  I had been told that a "blusher" wasn't really fashionable anymore, but I always thought it was a romantic touch.  And if there was a moment in my life to revel in romance, surely it was this moment, right?
But if there was ever a moment in my life when I didn't care about insignificant details, it was then.  That overwhelming happiness didn't leave any room for anxiety.
Now that I'm reminiscing, I see a lot of wedding day details that didn't go exactly the way I planned. I don't remember caring when a single one of them occurred.
Not when the organist informed me that the piece of music she had practiced for the wedding was not the one I had listed in the program, but was indeed the one I had requested over the phone.
Not when one of the guests hugged me while holding an ink pen, inadvertently sketching in blue across my bustle.
Not when an elderly man began slicing his way with scissors through the tulle strung along the pews.
Not when the caterers whisked the food away before everyone had partaken.
Not when we didn't have enough chairs for people to sit.
Not  when people didn't dance.
Not when I forgot to remove my veil for the dancing.
Not when the groomsmen pulled a good-natured but slightly embarrassing prank.
Not when my brothers expressed their disapproval over the garter-toss.
I didn't care about any of those details because I was pretty caught up in the bigger picture: I was getting married to a rather tall, tuxedoed man of my dreams.  Someone who still endeavors to make me laugh nearly every day.

At times, the details of my life with the rather tall, tuxedoed man at the end of the aisle haven't gone exactly the way I planned.  But I seem to have misplaced the composure I owned on my wedding day. Most times I lose sight of the bigger picture and I let anxiety over insignificant disappointments snatch away my peace.  I let momentary stuff suck the happy right out of my chest.  I wish it wasn't so, but it is.

Maybe I was just unexpectedly reminded of my blusher because I need to remember to forget the small stuff and immerse myself in today's bigger picture.

For the record, I did not marry a 12 year old.  He just looked inordinately young.  I have a picture to prove it, but you'll have to wait until I find the scanner.  We're old enough to remember film.

3 comments:

  1. How come your writings + sharings always feel like a devotional to my heart? Love this one a lot and your heart!

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  2. And for the record, I remember your wedding day so well. You had all of us younger ones single and sitting in the pew longing for our own wedding day to come! It was a beautiful day with so much love!

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