Isn’t That Always The Way It Goes?

The preparations were underway for my daughter’s bridal shower.
Her future husband has twin brothers who will be his best men.
She will have both of her sisters as her maids of honor.
The wedding will be at the end of June.

The six bridesmaids all had their jobs to do.
They worked in pairs and added so many lovely touches to make the day so very lovely.
I decided to have the event catered so I could enjoy the guests and my daughter’s special day.
I worked hard the week before making sure the house would be lovely for her day.

My husband made sure the grass was cut.
Mulch had been laid down a week before.
The deck furniture was out and cleaned.
The umbrella was open and the glass table was sparkling.

The comfy pillows were put out on the porch swing.
Some furniture was moved to accommodate folding chairs.
Everyone was dressed and ready to celebrate.
The food was delivered and the quiches placed in a warm oven until we were ready to eat them.

As soon as the clock struck noon, the guests began to arrive.
The door kept opening with a steady flow of women.
Each woman who came through the door was special to my daughter.
There were college friends, co-workers, and friends from church.

All are loved.

Suddenly, just when I thought that all my ducks were in a row, it happened.
Something I didn’t expect.
Something I had to deal with but wasn’t prepared for.
I heard the commotion at the front door.

I opened it and saw some of the women trying to get into our house.
They were prevented from entering by two of our neighbor’s dogs who had gotten loose.
They are large bull dogs and though friendly, are quite intimidating.
My flower beds with the new mulch had been dug into with mulch all over the sidewalk.

I called our neighbor and told her that her dogs were over here.
Though I was kind (I hope) I was frustrated since women were literally unable to come in.
She was apologetic and told me that her daughter would be over to get them.
Please hurry; no one can get into our house and we are having a bridal shower today.

If I had a clipboard I could have checked many things off the list.
Completed, would have been my claim to fame.
One of my daughter’s friends swept the walkway with a broom; the dogs saw that as a deterrent.
I never imagined that we would have to deal with two dogs who have never come over here before.

In the midst of the commotion, my daughter pulled in the driveway with one of her bridesmaids.
Her bridesmaid saw me and saw all that was going on.
Should we wait? she asked already knowing the answer.
Yes, I said with the inevitable eye roll.

The shower was not a surprise for my daughter.
She knew about it and knew who was coming but she did not know any other details.
She was to arrive about fifteen minutes after the guests were scheduled to come.
Her bridesmaid did all the right things; we just never factored in two dogs barring the entrance.

Isn’t that always the way it goes?
Just when you think, I’ve nailed this, you realize you haven’t.
Not by a long shot.
There are always things you cannot control; there are many things you cannot control.

I wish I could say I took it in stride.
I wish I could say that I laughed about it.
Not at the time.
Later on, when it was time to pray before we all ate, I could see a bit of the humor.

Life has a way of throwing you curve balls.
Life has a way of keeping you humble.
Life has a way of making sure that you not take yourself too seriously.
Isn’t that always the way it goes?

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
(1 Corinthians 13:7)

There it was.
The verse was on a chalkboard that was leaning against the Hoosier cabinet.
The verse was written artistically by my youngest daughter.
The verse was on the back of the shower invitation.

I had forgotten.
In a frazzled moment, I let the little annoyances get in the way of Truth.
This was not just a bridal shower verse.
This was a life verse.

Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:8)

We were there to celebrate love.
The love of two people brought together by God.
The love of family and friends coming together in celebration.
The love that is found when your heart is centered on God alone.

That is not Truth just when things are going well.
That is not Truth just when all the things on the clipboard are checked off.
That is Truth every day and in every circumstance.
Love never fails.

Isn’t that always the way it goes?
Life throws a curve ball that wrecks the plans.
Life throws something at you that is out of your control.
They are the facts but then there is the Truth.

Love never fails.
Glitches, problems, annoyances, and mishaps happen.
That is just the way life is sometimes.
But the steady, the constant, the thing you can always count on is the Truth.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:7,8)

Write that on a chalkboard.
Write that on your heart.
Let the Truth sink in despite the circumstances.
The next curve ball life throws at you, hit it out of the park!