I got on Facebook and discovered that a good friend from middle school passed away yesterday morning. He was always a friend that was there no matter what. When I moved to Birmingham after college and didn't know a soul, he forced me to come hang out and introduced me to a lot of people. I haven't seen him in at least 4 years but still held him dear.
Clay knew I was upset last night and was ridiculously sweet. He tried to get my mind off of it and wouldn't let me stay in another room by myself. He even helped me fold towels! I jokingly sang "Have I told you lately" in our silly voices and he sang back then kissed me on the hand. We say "I love you" every day but yesterday's events made us more aware of how important it is to make sure the other person feel our love. It's his silly singing that makes me feel his love and not those three little words.
In the midst of this wedding planning, conversations with friends and family can easily become about the wedding and/or honeymoon and while those are important for the moment, it's one day in the grand scheme of things. Being surrounded by his family, my family and our friends at my shower yesterday was the best part of the wedding planning thus far. We are incredibly blessed by the people God put in our lives. I'm much less stressed than I was 24 hours ago because now I realize my wedding is about sharing our love and lives with the people we care about, not about centerpieces and cute favors. Thank you God for bringing back that perspective.
Please pray for the Mason family during their loss. His mom has been undergoing treatment for cancer and has not been doing well. Their family is obviously distraught and I can only imagine what this is doing to his mom.