Serenity, Weddings and Joys

In just 5+ days my daughter will become a bride.  It's been a year filled with joy, happiness, a little bit of nerves and a whole lot of fun.

Over the past few days a lot of people have come up to me and asked if I was getting nervous and surprisingly the answer has been no. At times today I have wondered if there was actually something wrong with me since I wasn't nervous, but I decided that it's just the way I am now.

I am surrounded by the peacefulness of all of the wedding preparations, even the contract negotiations for the most part went smoothly.  As the actual day approaches I don't feel anxious just nostalgic remembering significant achievements in my daughter's life; her birth, her first steps, her first words, reading her favorite books in bed each night (Goodnight Moon, Madeline, Make Way for Ducklings, and of course Dr. Seuss), her 1st day of kindergarten, flower girl at my sister's wedding, high school graduation, college graduations and it goes on and on.

She has become a beautiful, caring, hard working young woman and her fiancee is a wonderful young man.  They have known each other since college days but only started dating after they graduated, so they really know each other well and they will learn more and more about each other as they grow together as a married couple.

I have also spent a great deal of time over the past few months looking at my own marriage.  Over the 33+ years, it's had a lot of ups and downs, 2 beautiful children, 3 cats, 2 dogs, several fishtanks, 5 moves - 3 states, the passing of close family members and lots and lots of celebrations and through it all my husband and I have remained together, not always on the same page, but there is always love to keep us content.

Finding my serenity is as important as finding my contentment, but they are not the same thing.  I have found that you can locate your serenity even in a contentious situation, but you many not be able to find contentment in the day.

On my daughter's wedding day, my husband and I will not be "giving her away" but embracing a new family member and embracing a new chapter in our family history.  It will be a day of beauty, a day of joy and day of sunshine and a day filled with the serenity of being surrounded by family, friends, nature and food.

Find your serenity each and every day.  I know that that's what gets me through the day.