Each Special Web

Do you ever look back at how God has weaved the most beautiful, perfect story?!?

This weekend, I had the opportunity to do that... and it brings tears to my eyes, to see how God has worked through so many people over the past years to bring about the most special day.

A dear and special friend of mine got married yesterday. She was so beautiful! And I'm pretty sure she had a permanent smile on her face, along with the groom, her husband. It was such an honor to be a part of their day... actually I wouldn't have missed it for the world!

You see over the past 6 years, I've witnessed first hand how God works through us. How His plan is always the best. There are many, many times when we don't understand why or what. When we want to scream and say, "Come on God, help me out! I don't understand!" But then... then one day, we will see more of the picture and what God was doing in our lives... and all we will be able to say is "THANK YOU!" As we will be filled with so much gratitude. 

I picture our lives as a spider web... we can only see one part of the web, maybe even only one strand at a time during our life... where God can see the entire web in it's completion.. so perfectly formed, and so beautiful. Each one is different. Our lives are like that... all different, but all so beautiful in their own, special and perfect way. 

This beautiful bride, my friend Nicole... we met when we both started nursing. We worked on the same unit. She had a special little boy named Ryder and he was her world. One day, at the end of 2010... she noticed a lump on his neck. The doctors checked him out, and the worst was confirmed. He had cancer. They both fought a long, hard battle (10 months worth)... but in the end, Jesus wanted Ryder back with him. Ryder did his job on this earth that he was born to do. Mostly teach us about love, about kindness, about the beauty of a stranger's compassion, and about how much Jesus loves us. He went to be with Jesus two weeks after his 3rd birthday. During this fight against cancer, I asked my priest, and dear friend, if he would come with me to visit them at the hospital. That first meeting, spiraled a beautiful grace... as Nicole wasn't close to any faith, but to witness how Jesus worked through us... it's just so beautiful. As a month before Ryder died, Nicole asked Father to baptize him in the hospital. When Ryder died in Nicole's arms, another priest from our church was at her home praying with all of us, and just being present as Jesus. After Ryder's funeral... Nicole came to Father, and said she wanted to join the church. Three other members of her family also decided to join. I was blessed and honored to be her sponsor through RCIA. Father was able to baptize her also that Holy Saturday night. That connection she had with Ryder through baptism, and then receiving Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time-- no words can describe!! 

Then time passed, and she met a guy... a loving, kind, loyal, Catholic man. :) And you guessed it... they fell in love. They became engaged. She was going to get married! Well... then we realized she had to get an annulment to be able to get married in the Catholic Church, since she was married before. This is where more beauty and grace comes about... as she had to wait almost 2 years for her annulment to go through and be finalized. So many others asked her "why?"  Why wait for this? Why don't you just get married? You see... she wanted to get married in the church so badly. She wanted to do this right! She had grown so much as a person, so much in her faith! She didn't want to get married outside of the church, and then not be able to participate in receiving the Eucharist. The one thing that so much connects her to Jesus, and to her son Ryder. She was not going to lose that gift God gave us no matter what.

So yesterday, when she stood up near the altar, and they said their vows to each other, God, and us... it was so special in more ways than one! It's the whole story of how and why she got there (and there's so much of the story that I didn't share... this is only skimming it.) It's the trust, the faith, the hope, the love. And what brought tears to my eyes even more, was how much Jesus was present during the Mass and the Sacrament of Matrimony yesterday... how one could feel Him and Ryder with us everywhere. It's the real thing. So when we start to doubt God, doubt in His goodness, doubt in His mercy and love... I hope this story, along with others you hold in your heart... I hope they come to the surface to be a reminder of God's goodness. Of His love. And of His most perfect plan!

Most special--- With the beautiful bride and Father!! 

The benefits of Christmas lasting long in the Catholic Church... no need to decorate! :)

Love this!

Special friends!

So much to be grateful for!!

Their look... priceless.

Ryder is smiling down on these special ladies!