Go ahead and give yourself two points if you know that “Time Marches On” is the title of Tracy Lawrence song (as a hard-core country fan pointed out to me recently). Some kids were listening to New Kids on the Block or Michael Jackson, but I was in love with Randy Travis when I was five…a country fan from the very beginning and that’s just the way it is.
It’s been a whirlwind of a few weeks and this past weekend I had the pleasure of leading worship for a group of women in Houma with my friends Audrey Assad and Julie Sellers. Praying with women is a beautiful thing… especially such lovely ladies as these! I drove to my parents house late Saturday night, struggling to keep my eyes open, so that I could wake up the next morning and prepare for that most feminine of events: the wedding shower!!!! FYI: I am getting married in two months! How can you not have fun when all your closest friends are together AND you get to dress up AND there is a table filled with sugary treats and coffee AND you get to open presents?!?!? I love the person who came up with this idea. All in all the weekend was filled to the brim with something that I treasure so: sisterhood.
I have learned over the years that the monsters of jealous rivalry between women are threats against the possibilities there are for the growth of God’s kingdom that come about when women stand together in support of and admiration for one another; when we go to bat for one another instead of competing; when we see the love God has for us AND for our sisters in Him; when we acknowledge that the gifts He has given to this girl or that girl are not a threat, but an asset to our team!
Now keep in mind that I am in the homestretch of planning a wedding, so I am on emotional overdrive. Beyond it actually. I have been thinking of this my whole life. I simply could not imagine what it would be like. There were times I doubted any of this could or would happen. Then I looked up and realized that God actually DOES have a plan and it is just as He says: far more than I could have asked or imagined. All of that being said, I can be seen weeping at any place or time… airports, restaurants. It is really quite humorous. It’s a time when you retrace the path that lead you here, reflecting on all that it has been in a sort of preparation for moving forward. So, knowing my love of sisterhood and emotional state, you can imagine what I look like right now as I try to remark on the incredible women in my life. I have friends who have known me from childhood through my clumsy and embarrassing moments of adolescence and on. We have lived side by side through the scariest and most sad moments of our lives to date. We have laughed and celebrated every birthday, every achievement, every exciting thing from a first kiss to getting engaged. I have cousins who are like sisters. They have known me from my first day on the earth and have treasured me, keeping me in their hearts, reinforcing at every moment that I have value simply because I am. I have friends who have come like surprises later in life… girls who have made it a mission to know me truly. They remind me who I am when I get confused and teach me things I really need to know, everything from how to make coffee to how to find healing in Christ. I have attachments of the heart that simply cannot be measured by words and this has made my life so full.
But the moment in the weekend that will always be timeless to me was taking my grandmother into the back room of the house and showing her my wedding dress. She is eighty-three. She raised six kids, twenty grandchildren, twenty great-grandchildren, and always a few on the way. She was a young bride once herself. She held my mother in her arms. She held me in her arms. And maybe she will hold a child of mine one day. It seems like the most base of all things in life, the simple truth and yet so complex: time marches on. It keeps its secrets locked up in the past and future. There is nothing you can do to speed it up or slow it down. The stories time has given the women in our lives to tell… what they haven’t felt or seen or experienced… all the things they thought they couldn’t do that one day they just did because they had to for their children and their families… the transformations in their hearts because of the recklessness of the love that had grown there. I don’t think it could ever all be put into words. But, I do think there are tiny pieces of time that hold still and remain as though they are always new. Standing in the closet with my grandmother and my wedding dress was like seeing the hands of the past and of the present grasp and interlock fingers. Everything feels at once all so spread apart and held together. I am so happy to be her granddaughter. And all you girls: talk to your aunts and grandmothers, mothers and sisters, cousins and friends… there is a piece of your understanding of yourself and the world you live in hidden in their hearts.
Now seriously… that was good advice. I should have a talk show. Peace! ~KP
hey kelly, so i was going to leave you a message on facebook! ha-ha!
But Chuck and I are excited for the wedding…
…and I was wondering; now brace yourself because this is really important…
do you want to get pedicures after your shower on saturday, i know this is a huge step,so take your time and let me know!
okay well can’t wait to see you guys this weekend!
Kelly!
You’re getting married! My mom mentioned it the other day when I talked to her on the phone, and I thought: I’m sure that when she wakes up in the morning, she feels the same way I do most days - “I can’t believe this is my life!” I still remember being little with you, going to see you sing in “Annie” when we were how old? 12? - and now, when I pull up your fancy Web site (good job, Jamie and Daniel!) at the mission in Honduras, one of the other girls (who happens to be from California) looks over my shoulder and says, “Oh, Kelly Pease! I’ve heard of her!” Crazy!
In less than two months, you’ll be married - and I will be here, not quite halfway around the world, praying for you and for your new life. If you have a moment to breathe sometime between now and then, send me an e-mail (emily.claire.byers@gmail.com) so I can keep track of you! And pray for me, too.
Love you, girlie -
Emily
Kelly today is my son Josh’s birthday May 9th A great day . And you know what else today is I’m sure you do its your big day the day every little girl waits for . Its hard to believe that so many years ago I can remember being on the river or lake all night with your dad and he would tell me about his love for his little girls . And now I am trying to put on a suite to go see you on your big day . It means a lot to me to be there thank you . and God Bless you. Walt
Hello my Sweetest KP! I must comment on the story of your grandmother. I absolutely loved, LOVED, listening to Washington Street. How wonderful you are to share that with us! I met my mom for her birthday dinner Saturday night and couldn’t get it to her fast enough. It brought tears to my eyes.. such a sweet story and I feel so honored that you let me take part in your special day. Truly amazing to see you two. Love was just radiating during your entire ceremony. I will pray for you as you begin your journey together! Love you!
P.S. Please send me your email address so we can keep in touch when you come back in town!