Monday, April 20, 2015

365 Days: The Wedding of a Lifetime

It’s not the busy times, it’s not even the times that you end up alone. It is the times your mind wanders around making connections based on touch, smell, or even a simple word from a passing stranger. Those moments, those thoughts, those are the times you realize just how far you have come. Those are the times you catch a glimpse of just how far you can go! It’s been one year, one year since I said “yes” or “ya” rather. I cried that day, I cried months later when the yes was no longer good enough and I was shaken to my core. I have told my story countless times, I have received looks of pity, looks of amazement and so many words of encouragement. As the date of my “imaginary” wedding draws ever nearer, this is my new rendition of that day. So here, one year later, from my saying “yes” to a man, is my thoughts on saying “yes” to God, life, and living free.

The Dress
Preparation for the day can span weeks, months, and for some even years. Getting ready is no small task, but I imagine that when my day finally comes I’ll be ready. Yes…there is a beautiful wedding gown, my wedding gown, the one I dreamed of, in my closet. There is also wedding decorations, emails about all this weddings that fill my inbox, and a bag of shredded pictures and letters of a relationship long passed.  To me it is a beautiful reminder of where I came from, and where I am going.  To me those are the preparation I needed to take the next step forward.

The Walk
This part of the ceremony is beautiful and one of my favorite parts. I look forward to this walk with my own daddy one day (I’m sure there will be tears, and thank goodness for waterproof makeup). It symbolizes the women taking the final walk from her previous life into a new life making new covenants, even changing her identity with a new name. As I sit in an airport writing this, I am reminded that life is not a destination, but a journey filled with stages, commitments, and moving forward. Today I take the next step forward.

The Vow
People talk, even if only non-verbally. I have learned as part of my live free attitude to “not care”, what other people choose to say or not say but here are some of my thoughts to debunk some thoughts of others: I am not broken, my Father has made me whole. I am not used, my Father has redeemed me. I am not sad, my Father has a plan for me. It was not a mistake, for I would not be here now doing what I am doing without going through this. In not so many words, my broken engagement was the best thing to ever happen to me. So here is where I make my vow, to live free. Today I take a vow and move forward.

The Kiss 
I imagine that kiss, the kiss. The one taken at the end of the ceremony, the first kiss as a bride. The kiss is the start of something new and so comes my life free attitude. I have done so much in this year, from taking trips of crazy proportions with my friends, traveling internationally on a mission trip, to riding a mechanical bull, to dying my hair for the first time. I never stop looking for adventure. I never want to stop growing and challenging myself. I love seeking the sweet joy and unconditional love of my Heavenly Father, and the reassurance of support and love of my earthly family and friends. Today I take a kiss from life and move forward.

Not every day is easy, but not every day is bad. I have tons of great moments, I have amazing friends and family that get me through the rough times too. Life is a journey, not a destination, and I choose each day to be joyful and live free each moment in that moment.

Here is too many more years of living free and saying YES to God.
Simply Jordan 

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