for such a time...
of all the things that i've been told about being engaged - all the advice i've been given, the stories i've heard, the antidotes, tricks of trades, and snippets of wisdom i've received - nothing has stood out more than this:
engagement is a time for firsts and lasts... cherish it.
for the past month or so, it's been nothing short of delightful, to engage (pardon the pun) in all of these new firsts that i've heard others speak of all my life. so far, these have been my favorite firsts since we've been engaged:
- visiting our new place for the first time
- buying an official "recipe book" for the first time
- seeing Tim try on wedding bands
- doing devotions and reading together
- picking out paint colors together
- staring at my ring while stopped at red lights
- learning daily how to fight fair and how to communicate better
- spending sweet time with my mom, during wedding dress fittings
- the daily countdown until wedding day
- knowing, deep in my heart, that there's no need to keep searching
but there are also some lasts... and these are the things that keep me, as always, clinging tight to the Savior who knows, and loves, and helps us carry weighty things.
when my parents pulled out of my apartment parking lot last night for the last time, the reality of "moving day" sunk in a little bit more. when i leave my job this afternoon, after two and a half years, there it will go even deeper. and there will be no more eating just a sandwich for dinner, no more buying clothes without considering our needs first - no more having an apartment that smells only like a girl, or a kitchen filled with items from Anthropologie.
but thank the Lord, there will also be no more baking cookies for just one person, or going grocery shopping alone.
everything in its time.
there is joy in the bittersweet, and i am continually learning how to find it - and cherish it. for such a time as this has perhaps never been as sweet a phrase as it seems now. for these firsts and lasts are many, and grace is given for such days as these.
21 days to go.
What a beautiful, and infinitely true, post. Leaving a life you love behind for another, even though it is a life you've always dreamed about, is certainly not easy. You're smart to take the time to reflect on it all, you will not regret it. I'm delighted for you as you go through this precious season!
ReplyDeleteLearning to fight fair is the hardest, isn't it? Nothing quite prepares you for the delicate communication dance you must learn as a couple (and the intrapersonal one you must learn as one half of that couple). But it is so lovely when you make breakthroughs, especially the kind that help you better understand the depth and riches of your beloved's heart. All of the wrestling is well worth it.
And I'm with you on the "staring at my ring while stopped at red lights" thing! I did the same thing. :)
I'm so happy for you, Lauren! Engagement really is an exhilarating time. And marriage fosters real living. . .more than I thought possible. Josh and I always say we feel like we got more of our faces when we got married (if you've read Till We Have Faces, that will make sense!). You're creating your own anecdotes now and gathering up wisdom along the way in this new chapter. I pray God's blessings on you in this time and I'm thankful to have had you in chapters of my own life. Oh and I still stare at my ring. I'll never forget telling Vickie Wilson during pit choir one night that I was always starting at it ( this was during my engagement) and she said, "You always will." She was so right!
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