Be Still My Heart

Yesterday as I was waiting to get the oil changed in my car, I overheard two men speaking about ministering to a big congregation and how nerve-racking it can be. They talked about the things that can go wrong with technical equipment and how could you stay in your momentum with such a big distraction. It made me think of how even when we do great things, that we have done time after time, we still get nervous about the what-if's. I'm like that before a wedding. I plan for traffic, pray for no accidents or a flat tire. I need to be early because early is on time by my definition. I make sure to pray before every job but I pray a little extra when it's a wedding. There's no rescheduling, no re-do. This is it. 

While they were talking, I was going through weddings I photographed for marketing materials, seeing what spoke to me, when I happened upon one of my favorite memories. It was at a small wedding held at a home in Stafford, Virginia.

It was an outdoor wedding, under a tent, during one of the those monumentally huge rainstorms. As I pulled up to the house, I saw rain pouring from the top of the tent like a waterfall. I exited my car and immediately sunk about three inches down into mud. At first I thought it would be moved indoors. There was no way she would make it outside in her dress and wedding shoes. When I entered the house, everyone inside was calm and joyful. I had not even met the bride prior to the event because I was hired by her mother. I entered the room where Meredith was getting ready. She was beautiful and so happy. She laced up her boots for her walk through the rain and mud. I immediately knew I liked this young woman.