One week from today Christina & Danny will wed. What a journey it has been. I won't take you all of the way back to Christina's first days of life, I've posted some of it in the Life Series. I'll just say, life hasn't always been easy.
Fast forward to 2007. Christina graduated with a degree in Ministry, but realized her dream of becoming a missionary in Mexico was no longer a possibility. As a single parent to a child with special needs, she instead concentrated on caring for her son and became a Certified Nurse Assistant.
Financially struggling, it didn't take long for Christina to realize her income barely covered the necessities of life, so opted to go back to school to become a Registered Nurse.
Somewhere along the way, she met Danny. You can read his and her versions of their meeting here. Danny is a wonderful man, but after meeting Ethan, he wasn't sure he wanted to take on a child who most likely would never be able to live on his own. Christina and Danny went their separate ways.
I believe God is into details, and was working behind the scenes. After about a year, Danny came to the realization that his life would never be complete without Christina and Ethan in his life, so he returned to the love of his life
The proposal popped in December of 2011. Ethan was present. While attending her last semester of school, Christina began planning her August wedding. This brings us to July, the month before the wedding.
The beautiful mountain wedding venue that was to accommodate the 200 guests, was no longer able to-at least not without seating the wedding party or some attendees dangerously close to a 20 foot cliff. The owner of the venue also failed to disclose that Port-a-potties would be brought in order to provide restrooms for the wedding guests. A mad scramble ensued.
Rather than waste time on the negatives of the first venue's failures, the way a politician does with attack ads, Christina chose to focus on her wonderful friends and family and their generous offers to help. Unfortunately, the first venue was all inclusive. This meant she not only lost the mountain setting for her wedding, the caterer, etc., she no longer had a photographer, DJ, or a place to hold the rehearsal dinner. Knowing the money already spent most likely would not be recovered, the hunt began for an inexpensive place to host the wedding, reception, and rehearsal dinner.
In the midst of the chaos, Christina's pastor and friend informed her that in spite of his ongoing chemotherapy treatments, he was not doing well, and he would not be able to perform the wedding ceremony.
Christina's cousin, who was to sing and play music at the wedding canceled, as he got a new job and had to return to Canada early.
Christina's friend, who has been acting as her wedding coordinator, lost her job. She wasn't sure if she would be able to do all she'd promised.
Nothing is ever easy.
One day, we will look back and laugh as things have continued to unravel and change. I've lost track of many of the changes that have occurred almost daily. Yesterday, Christina was told the flowers, including the bridal bouquets & boutonnieres, that were being provided as part of a wedding gift, then changed to "at cost" would no longer be provided.
The new wedding venue is lovely, but costly. There is no budget for flowers, a photographer, or any other miscellaneous lovelies of a wedding. Somehow, Christina and Danny will wed in one week. Christina will be a beautiful bride, Ethan will be the best man, and life will go on. This wasn't the plan, but Christina has experienced plans interrupted before, and has dealt with disappointments with courage and confidence-her faith unwavering.
I wish I had the money to make things different. I wish I had connections with some Hollywood Reality Show that would step in and do a wedding makeover not for some crazy bridezilla, but for a lovely couple and their sweet little boy. If you'd like to see a glimpse of my beautiful daughter Christina, her soon-to-be husband, and my darling grandson, I put together this slideshow:
http://youtu.be/BN6OBK05jZo
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