a shower of grace

In three weeks and three hours from right now (start of drafting this), my daughter gets married. We got home late yesterday afternoon from a whirlwind trip to attend her shower Wednesday night. It meant fetching one of her bridesmaids from nearby, and then a four-hour drive. Once in Kelowna we picked up a couple of aunties and drove two more hours to Kamloops on this Shower Express.

I often feel apprehensive about such outings and later wonder why. This shower was one of those times.

The other bridesmaids, who put on the shower, and the ladies from the church were so friendly. H.W’s Victoriana-decorated home, with its collections of porcelain dolls, dried flower arrangements, photo montages, lace doilies and strings of beads was a perfect setting for this celebration of romance. Our little girl was ‘showered’ with beautiful things for her new home and I felt showered with grace.

I came away with a smile in my spirit, and feeling like I had another time. A few years ago we had a family reunion on the Saskatchewan farm where I grew up. Before the event I felt apprehension about a variety of things. But I came away from spending three days with my Mom, eight siblings, their spouses and kids with a wonderful sense of God’s benediction – on family in general, and on our family in particular.

I felt the same way Wednesday night. I believe it’s because God is pleased with our celebrations. His grace rains down when we give and receive generosity, support the family at whatever stage, and have a party because this is a happy time.

Going to Sonia’s shower gave me the vision and faith to pray for even more of that at her wedding. When all the planning is done, all the details have been worked out, and all things proceed just as we hope they will – or not – my prayer is that people will come away with a sense of being blessed supernaturally. May they know that Jesus was at that wedding. After all, He is known to have attended weddings before!

(And now my fingers need to type a shower of words, as I catch up on the work I missed while I was away!)