Is tomorrow really already February 10, 2010? Time truly flies. Two years ago, today, Dustin and I celebrated with all of our friends and family our engagement. One of my mom’s great friends threw us an engagement party on that Saturday night. All of our friends and family were there; it was truly an amazing night. Not one thing went wrong. Life was so good. I spent most of the night talking with my girlfriends, pondering upon wedding colors, and just soaking up the happiness and joy that I felt knowing that most of the people I loved were in that very room.
After the party, we had a “post-party” back at my parents house and continued the celebration into the wee hours of the morning. We even have a video from that night that I recently watched for the very first time. The following Sunday morning we slept late, had breakfast, and then got ready to head back to Statesboro (where most of us attended college) for Monday classes. All of the guys were making fun of us because we were hugging good-bye as if we were never going to see each other again. A few of them said mockingly, “Bye girl, see you in 4 hours!” We just laughed and hugged anyways.
That afternoon I got a terrible phone call: three of my bridesmaids had been in a horrible wreck. I don’t want to go into anymore details regarding the wreck, but it’s just hard to believe that we have already gone 2 years with out our dear friends.
This past Sunday at church in the beginning of the service, our pastor said, “February 10th!” My heart sank and I immediately looked at Dustin and asked, “Is today already February 10th?” I thought about it and realized it was just the 7th, and for some reason this brought me great relief. I remember thinking in my head, “Thank goodness it’s not February 10th;” I guess because the only memories of that date I have are bad ones.
For some reason I have always felt truly connected to First Baptist Orlando. The following April, after the accident in February, I attended FBO for the first time. It was Easter Sunday and Dustin had to be at the field, so I went alone that day not expecting I would ever find a place that my heart felt right in. That Easter Sunday, I felt God tell me that my friends were okay; they were happy, celebrating, and perfectly fine. He allowed me to give up any feelings of guilt I had about my engagement party and the questions that I always asked myself such as, “What if I picked another date? Then they wouldn’t have been on the road.” God made me realize that by asking myself those questions, I was trying to play the role of God. He gave me a sense of relief and understanding and acceptance.
Little did I know that when our pastor said, “February 10th!” at the beginning of our service, he was saying that because that was the day the church was founded. On one of my darkest days, they were celebrating another year. As my friends were soaring to Heaven, FBO was celebrating with them. Now I know exactly why I feel so comfortable here. The place brings me closer to my friends; they are angels in that room, worshiping with me and singing loud every Sunday morning.
TOTW Tuesday: Make Your Own Pizza Crust
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