At the end of the day. . .

As most of you know, Jeff and I were married on October 2nd. I, of course, feel that the wedding was perfect. Well, except for the florist forgetting to decorate our wedding cake or how it was 20 degrees below average and drizzling most of the morning. Those are the little things that every bride fears the weeks before her wedding. I was one of those brides. I cannot tell you how many times I checked the weather the week before the wedding. It looked great until the night before. We prayed it would be okay. I honestly didn't think of it until I woke up on the day of the wedding. I, of course, decided to check the weather (stupid iPhone app). The panic began to sit in, but I quickly forgot because I was having fun with my parents, sister, and bridesmaids getting ready. Then it came time for outdoor pictures before the ceremony. I was absolutely frozen. Jeff and I decided to do "first look" pictures. When I was first standing in the wind on a bridge, I was covered in goose bumps and absolutely irritated about the weather. Then the photographer told me Jeff, my soon-to-be-husband was walking up behind me. The goosebumps were no longer from the cold, they were of excitement knowing today I would marry this wonderful man. That is when all of the small stuff that went "wrong" melted away. I no longer cared about the weather or getting the millions of pictures planned out in my head. I just wanted to be with Jeff, forever. All of the planning for the wedding was tons of fun and I wouldn't change it for the world, but that was just a wedding. What I was excited for was the marriage. It became clear when Jeff tapped me on the shoulder and I turned to see his sweet smile the morning of our wedding.

Marriage, I am learning, has snaffoos too! Like when your husband thinks that rinsing the dishes before they go into the dishwasher is a waste or when one of you is irritated about a change in plans for dinner or one of you is having bad day and is a little more snippy than usual (me last week- sorry babe). Just like with the wedding, it is the small stuff. It is a minor infraction of marriage, but at the end of the day I have this amazing man to share my life with. Who, even when I am snippy after a "bad" day at work, makes me dinner and pours me a glass of wine. That is marriage. Give and take, overcoming the small stuff, so when the "big" stuff is taking over, you can stand together as a team.

Everyone says that a wedding is just that, a wedding. I agree, but I think how you spend that day is a glimpse into your future. My focus was on Jeff. Once he was there, all I wanted to do was marry him and spend the day with our friends and family. After I saw Jeff, I no longer cared about pictures, how the candy bar was set up, or if my cake was decorated with flowers. That was the small stuff.

I am writing this because it is the time of year where the small stuff can get to a lot of couples (or "singles"). Just remember the important things in life. Your husband (or wife), your kids, your siblings, your family, and your friends. Most of all Jesus. If he had sweat the small stuff, he would have gotten no where.

Where will your focus be this season? The presents that aren't wrapped or your loved ones?