Last weekend Brett was the Best Man in his college roomate’s wedding. We traveled six hours up to Lubbock, TX to attend this exciting event. This was going to be a great weekend! The kids and I were going to hang out with some friends we met in our young married group there in Lubbock back when we were young newlyweds. Then the girls and I were going to get our nails done with the bride and her bridesmaids and family while Logan and Brett went golfing with the groom and his crew. That evening was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. The next day was the event we all have been waiting for. The last morning of being in Lubbock we were going to have breakfast with some friends of Brett, who mentored him as a high schooler. Then we wanted to take the kids to Texas Tech University to show them where their dad went to school. That was the plan anyway.
The Day of the Wedding
Things were going just as we had planned until the day of the wedding. When we got to the wedding I noticed that the sister in law of the groom and her kids were missing. When I inquired about where they were I was told they got sick. Knowing these kids were small, I felt for the mom. I know what it’s like to be away from home with sick kids. Then I learned she was sick too.
The wedding ceremony was beautiful, short, and sweet. The bride’s two sons gave her away. I thought that was a nice way of involving them in the ceremony. The minister read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, which reminded me of my own wedding. The bride and groom even brought some laughter into their ceremony. When the minister asked if they both agree to marrying each other they both gave a sarcastic remark of, “Sure!” It made us all laugh, and I thought, Yep, that’s Tony all right. In fact I saw him earlier that day when I was dropping Brett off for pictures. I asked if he was ready to be a married man. He replied, “Eh, it’s just another day.” I rolled my eyes at him and walked away laughing.
After the wedding ceremony I learned the groom’s brother wasn’t feeling well either. This made sense as he is the husband and father of the sick family. I felt bad they missed the wedding. I wondered to myself if he was going to make it through the reception. Personally, I was excited for the reception. I was looking forward to visiting with people and having fun with Brett and the kids. As parenting sometimes goes, my plans didn’t go the way I was wanting or expecting…
We Didn’t Escape
A few minutes after the wedding ceremony was over my oldest daughter informed me her tummy was hurting. I honestly didn’t think she would be getting sick since we hadn’t been around the sick family all that much. Then it happened. My daughter ran for the bathroom. By now I knew exactly what that meant. Thinking it was maybe something she ate, I gave her some supplements to help soothe her tummy. I was wrong. So very wrong. About an hour later I saw her running toward the bathroom again. It was time for me to take her back to the hotel room for some rest. As I was leaving, the groom’s brother asked if I could take him back as well. So I took two sick people back to the hotel.
The Phone Call
Brett and the other two kids had a fun time at the reception. Brett and my youngest daughter danced, and both kids sat by the fire pit. They ate, played, chatted with people. Things were great! Then the next kid got sick. Brett called me and informed me our son got sick. He wanted to stay until the bride and groom left in about 20 minutes. I asked if he wanted me to come get Logan, but he said no. It should be ok. It wasn’t in me to argue, and by this time Brittany needed me again. I hung up the phone and took care of her.
A while later I heard a knock at the door. One of the groom’s aunts and our youngest daughter were at the door. The aunt informed me that Logan was on his way but got sick in the elevator. Thankfully there was a bag for him to use. I thanked the ladies for bringing my kids home and went to take care of our son.
The Longest Night
Then the longest night ever proceeded. Before the end of the night both our youngest daughter and Brett succumbed to the bug as well. There were several times one kid was using the sink and one was using the toilet. Then there was the one time when that happened and as soon as one kid was finished the other came in to take their place. I thought to myself, I’m living in a three ring circus. The thought made me laugh. I had to turn away to laugh as I’m sure the kids would have been angry seeing me laughing in that moment.
The next day we learned that most of the groom’s family and wedding party had the same night we did. The aunts who brought my kids home managed to avoid getting sick and they took care of all of us. They went to the store and bought soup and spoons for all of us. They were truly a blessing to us!
Needless to say, we did not have breakfast with Brett’s friends or take the kids to the University. We had to stay one more night, and learned at check out the next morning that 8 of the 12 rooms had to book another night due to illness. As best as we could count about 15-20 people all got the gift that kept on giving. They are all a part of a club nobody wanted to be a part of.
Spiritual Lesson:
Plans don’t always go your way. Still God uses those moments to connect people and blessings still come in small ways. Even in the midst of chaos, God kept giving me worship songs to sing. Brett said that is giving a sacrifice of praise. Yes, bad things happen, but we can still choose to have a positive outlook. Knowing that the morning will bring new things. The bad stuff will get expelled from our life, making room for the good things. We need to make sure to let go of the negative, ungodly parts of our life so Jesus can fill us with positive, Godly parts. Even in the hardest parts of life, we can still choose to laugh. Always remember, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV
Recent Comments