Gift of Preparation

It is amazing to me how much of our lives we spend preparing for something. I don’t normally think of it in that context, but as we start the countdown to our son’s wedding day, I can’t help but reflect.

In the remaining few days leading up to the celebration, our immediate focus is on the long list of small details that still need to be addressed to help insure things go off without a hitch and everyone enjoys themselves. The bride and groom have things under control and I have faith it will be a wonderful beginning to their long life together.

So why am I finding myself weepy when certain songs come on the radio? I know it has little to do with the impending wedding day itself and more to do with the journey we’ve been on to get to this point. As parents, we’ve worked hard to prepare our kids for adulthood. Have we done enough? Have we helped our son to be as prepared as possible as he starts a new family of his own?

As a very wise man once told me, you do the best you can, every day, and that is enough.

So I can take comfort in knowing we’ve done our best. Never perfect, but always with good intentions and love.

And it isn’t just a question of whether we’ve done enough to prepare him for the responsibilities of marriage and adulthood. Have we also done enough to prepare ourselves? For those of you that have raised a family and sent your own young adults out into the world, you know exactly what I mean. After spending twenty plus years with much of your focus on their needs, suddenly the days start to look very different, very quickly.

Sometimes preparing can feel like a chore. We get impatient to get to the “good stuff”—the thing we’re working towards. Whether it's a wedding day, the completion of a big project, or even dinner on the table, slogging through the details to get to the end game can feel endless. I’m guilty of this. I get impatient. But there are so many life lessons to be found within the journey itself. Often the thing we are working towards will come and go in a flash, like a special day. We need to be sure to find the joy and the blessings along the way.

My goal is to never be done preparing. Having many things to prepare for means life is full of abundance. It means we are looking forward to all the possibilities before us. Our daily lives will continue to evolve and change, and when I start to feel a bit nostalgic or sad, I’ll allow myself a moment or two but then I’ll turn my eyes forward and move towards new experiences.

Next Friday, we will pause and celebrate. We will make a toast to new beginnings. We will enjoy time with family and friends, eat good food, and dance until the day is done.

Having things to prepare for is one of life’s many gifts. Try not to resent the hard work that leads up to milestones. The work is what helps make things so special. Whether it is preparing to become parents, preparing to become in-laws, preparing for a new stage in life, or whatever it is you are each working towards, enjoy the journey and know the effort is worth it.

​Now, I’m off to buy water-proof mascara, because despite my best intentions, I know there will be a few tears on the big day.    Kim
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