The Stresses of Life

Well, it’s official…or at least 99.99% official. My daughter is getting married on May 20, 2017. That’s one of my stresses (which includes a multitude of small ones within it!)

Seriously? She's getting married?!

Frankly, I didn’t think this whole get-the-daughter-married process would be so stressful. The annulment process, of course, is always stressful, and I can speak from experience here. But even once The Fiancé’s previous marriage was declared invalid, a further restriction was placed upon his ability to marry in the Church. I can’t even remember whether I wrote about this. The restriction was that he not marry within one year of the official decree of nullity, and that he be properly instructed as to the permanence of and the procreative purpose of marriage. The Fiancé met with the bishop, and everything has been moving along since then, but the final signed document is not yet in hand. The Judicial Vicar said the couple could plan on May 20 for their wedding, but still, the bishop needs to provide the final documentation.  My daughter says she’s sending out the invitations, though.

Then there’s the wedding planning itself. My daughter has actually been planning her wedding since she was about 9 years old, and shorter-range planning had begun prior to the glitches in the annulment process. She has most of it under control. But I am the mom, after all, and I find myself stressing over the details. Did she remember this? Did she remember that? How much is this going to cost? Where the heck will we find the money?!

We got the dress, though! That was a load off my mind. My daughter was having a recurring dream in which she found herself on the day before her wedding with no wedding dress. We decided to risk a trip to Boise for the shopping expedition. I say “risk” because of the intense winter weather we’ve had here. In the last few weeks, the freeway between here and Boise has been closed multiple times for extended periods (hours at a time, even up to a full day) due to blowing snow, ice, and vehicle accidents. I watched the weather forecast all week, hoping the predicted snow would not fall and that the trip-cams would show clear pavement all the way there.  I prayed to my guardian angel for guidance in making the decision. In the end, we went, although it was snowing in our town when we left, and the trip-cams were not as promising as they had been. But it wasn’t bad, and it was better on the way home, so the trip was made in a standard amount of time. Besides that, the dress was a reasonable price, and that made me extra happy.

The photographer, though…I wasn’t happy with the contract the young woman had provided to my daughter. The photographer wanted the full payment a month in advance of the wedding, and she stated in several places that there would be “no refunds.” Well. I wasn’t happy about a big chunk of money going out to someone I’d never met, who offered no refunds! What if something unforeseen happened that prevented her from even making it to the wedding? Would we be required to pay for a product never received? So we met with the photographer, and I thought we had things ironed out, but then she emailed my daughter and said it was her contract or nothing. So…nothing. We’re on the hunt for a different photographer.

And then there’s the snow. My goodness. That day we went to Boise and back, safely, with little snow on the road, I came home to find another few inches of snow had fallen, and another 3 or 4 fell that evening! That meant another 3-4 hours of snow removal and relocation the next day. (What ARE we going to do with all this snow!?!) I have definitely been feeling claustrophobic here, as the snow has grown deeper and deeper. Plus, the piles of snow we’ve made from shoveling the roofs have become as tall as the buildings themselves!

Looking from the chapel toward the house.

 But now it’s melting. Finally we have above-freezing temps, and the snow is settling and melting. Another stress. Is my chapel going to be flooded?! Time will tell. I have sand bags! And lots of prayers.

There are other stresses. But of course, you know that; we all have them!

I keep reminding myself to trust in God. And I pray that He helps me to do that! He does, of course. And I have all those angels and saints to help me, too. I really don’t know how people get through life without them!

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me!