Tip of My Iceberg

What do you get when you bring seven opinionated women together, one of whom is a bride-to-be, and try to make a decision?

A lot of laughter, a lot of talk and no decision.

I was designated mom this past weekend as my daughters, daughter-in-law and I converged on Denver to help Courtney think through wedding plans. What made it particularly fun was that she has had no time to even consider any plans because she works with a non-profit which has spent much of the past two months helping victims of the monstrous floods that happened in September. When we all got into town, there was no plan, no ideas, no direction.

But we had laughter. And a lot of opinions.

We bought a book. Seems you can’t do much without a book nowadays. Tells you how to plan. What to consider. How to think about what you want to do. Options.

This could be the source of a lot of my own issues. I don’t have enough books.

Once we had a book, we knew a wedding dress would be a great place to start.

Besides, it’s shopping. Isn’t that always a great place to start?

We began at a big box wedding store. Tons of dresses. Brides running around in various stages of decision and confusion. And more mirrors than anyone my age would ever want to see in a lifetime.

Everyone had an idea of what dresses Courtney should try on. Some were elegant. A few were classic.

Some were, well, let’s just say they didn’t work.

I had no idea this could be so exhausting.

Courtney kept changing her mind about what she thought she liked. She was enjoying the moment. Torn between encouragement and opinion, everyone had things to say. Many things to say.

We moved from their to boutique wedding stores. Smaller, more intimate places. Less craziness. More personal attention.

Fewer mirrors.

Courtney changed her mind again. New possibilities. More options. More enjoyment.

How many options does it take to make a good decision? This is obviously the classic question of all times. For all matters. 

The answer is most assuredly more than you presently have.

But it was a wonderfully fun and funny time. A chance to be together for the launching of a new season for Courtney. An opportunity to encourage and love on her because we want this to be a remarkable time for her. We want to share in her joy.

It’s what God wants us to do for one another. Love and encourage each other to be our best. To support each other so we won’t quit when it gets tough.

“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.”   Hebrews 10:24-25

What we did for Courtney was show up and encourage. Shared in her joy.

I know how I respond to encouragement.

Who could you encourage today? Randomly? Without thought of what you’ll receive in return?