Shear Delight!

Over the past few months, I’ve witnessed many miracles of God’s mercy and grace, especially with regards to the wedding planning and in the lives of the engaged couples. One such event, the first, was definitely cutting edge!

I was busy making bull denim “Thank You” labels for Kyle and Tiia’s unusual South African missionary picnic wedding. To complete these labels in the planned style, I needed to finish the labels’ edges with a pinking shear. For the life of me, I could not remember what had happened to the pair I once owned. It had been years since my sewing machine and any other paraphernalia associated with the art of sewing had been dusted off and put to use. My only option was to purchase another pair.

On one of the first of many, many, many trips down to Middestad Fabrics, I priced a pair ... a whopping two hundred and sixty odd rand rands to replace this missing tool, and that was for the cheapest one. Although I was in “shear” desperation (‘scuse the pun), I just could not justify spending this kind of money on something that would probably only be used this once.

Frantically dialling friends and family as I drove away from this strip of land flowing with silk and money (my favourite Indian fabric store), I tried to source a pair to beg, borrow or ... okay, I really wouldn’t go so far as to steal them! This option turned out to be an epic fail ... nobody could help.

But the whole time as I was driving, the thought that I should try the small fabric shop just up the road from my house kept going through my mind as I prayed, “Lord, I’d be happy to buy another pair, if you could just find me ones for around R100.”

Now just to give a little background, I have lived in the lovely suburb of Faerie Glen for over ten years and I have never set foot inside this little shop, even though it’s merely a few hundred meters from my home. Oh, I have walked past it several times, peering inside the window on the odd occasion, but never have my feet darkened its doorstep.

Still the thought persisted, “Try the little fabric shop up the road.”

After first driving to my sister-in-law’s house, just to find no one at home, I finally surrendered to the unrelenting voice in my head, and pulled up outside the small fabric shop. It just shows how much notice I’ve taken of this place over the past decade ... I don’t even know the shop’s name.

Upon entering, I noticed a lot of Christian touches to the interior, which I found pleasing. I stepped up to the counter and asked the shopkeeper if she had any pinking shears.

“Yes, I think there is a pair at the back hanging against the wall, but would you mind to go and have a look; I’ve hurt my leg and it’s so difficult to get around.”

Assuring her that it was no problem at all, I headed to the back of the shop and scanned the wall of sewing gadgets. It didn’t take long for my eyes to settle on the pair of pinking shears in the middle of the wall. The O N L Y pair of pinking shears on the wall ... ones priced at R112  (or R98.25 plus vat). Around R100!

How faithful and trustworthy is our great God. And like the perfect Father, so attentive to our needs, no matter how small they might be.

And how grateful I was to have listened to the small still voice of my Saviour – I certainly would have missed out on one of those wow moments if I hadn’t.

Note to self: When I hear voices in my head, I am not stressed, suffering from burnout or going mad!

Isaiah 30v21: Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

So Little Thyme ...

In my first blog, I wrote of how this blog was to be my thoughts of how I do (or don't) cope with managing four weddings within three months. You are probably thinking by my lack of blogging, that I'm not coping well. On the contrary, despite many set-backs and issues that we as a family have had to deal with in recent months (which I will hopefully share about in future blogs) I'm managing to cope quite well ... except of course, getting down to blogging about it all.

Now in case you’re wondering about the title of this blog and thinking that either I can’t spell, or you’re in for a cost saving Italian recipe, let me assure you that you’re wrong on both accounts. My choice for this particular spelling of time (which as you’ve seen in the first paragraph I seem plagued, as most people are, with having very little of) has nothing to do with food, and everything to do with my play on words for My Wedding Belles blog.

I’ve been thinking a lot about it and finally decided to change the title (but not the URL address) of My Wedding Belles to My Wedding Belles (and Beaus). The reason for this change is that this blog will not only be about the beautiful women who have come into my life  and each one’s special day, but I will have much to say about two of the future grooms, my sons.

And in case you’re thinking this blog should have been titled My Wedding Bells and Bows, let me offer the Encarta World English Dictionary explanation for my choice of words.

-  Belle: Early 17th century from French ‘beautiful’, meaning a beautiful girl or woman; a woman considered to be the most conspicuously attractive of all those living in a particular place or attending a particular social event

-  Beau: Late 17th century from French, from beau ‘beautiful’, from Latin bellus meaning a boyfriend or male admirer (dated); a man who is always smartly dressed in the most fashionable clothes (archaic).

Thinking about the title of this particular blog got me thinking of (and singing) an old English ballad, made popular in our time by the famous duo, Simon and Garfunkel.

 

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
Remember me to one who lives there,
for once she was a true love of mine

The song tells the tale of a young man, who tells the listener to ask his former lover to perform for him a series of impossible tasks, such as making him a shirt without a seam and then washing it in a dry well, adding that if she completes these tasks he will take her back. Often the song is sung as a duet, with the woman then giving her lover a series of equally impossible tasks, promising to give him his seamless shirt once he has finished.

Do you think they were perhaps testing each other to see if they were marriage material?  With their impossible lists of demands, no wonder they had to throw in a little Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, apparently the main ingredients for a love spell. 

But, jokes aside, it seems these herbs, like many others, have a symbolic meaning that goes back centuries :

•         Parsley has been used as a digestant, which should take the bitterness out of certain comestibles.  Some medieval physicians used this herb in a spiritual manner.

•         Sage is renowned as a symbol of power.

•         Rosemary represents fidelity, love and remembrance and is therefore often used in traditional wedding customs.

•         Thyme symbolizes courage and thus found its way into heraldry.

Both man and woman in this ballad invoke said powers in naming these herbs: mildness to soothe the bitterness of their relationship, spiritual strength to endure being apart from each other, faithfulness and lastly encouragement, to fulfill the impossible tasks given.

Thankfully, with marriages that will be based on the foundation of Jesus Christ, Ryan and Amy, Kyle and Tiia, and Satja and Rikesh will not require any of these plants to be added to their wedding day bouquets. Why? There is no bitterness brewing in their relationships; they have the power of the Holy Spirit to give them strength for each day of marriage; fidelity is core to each of their relationships; and with God as the central part of their marriages, they will have the courage to face whatever the future holds for them.

Note to self: Stick to roses!

Ecclesiastes 4v12: “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

Wedding Dates ...

So, allow me to explain how 1 + 1 equals 4. But before I do, here are the planned wedding dates for 2012:

• Saturday, 23^rd June 2012
• Saturday, 7^th July 2012
• Thursday, 9^th August 2012
• Sunday, 12^th August 2012

Ryan and Amy were the first to start with wedding plans when they got engaged on Sunday, September 4th 2011. After much internet research, and visits to a couple of wedding venues, they soon found the place they knew was right for their special day and a date was set … 12th August.

That in turn set the ball rolling for Kyle’s Finnish girlfriend, Tiia, to fly to South Africa for Ryan and Amy’s wedding. With Kyle and Tiia wanting to get married too and their both being in South Africa in August, I suggested the 9th to Kyle as it’s a public holiday. With family needing to travel to Johannesburg for one wedding already, we figured it would be a good idea to do both weddings over that long weekend.

Wedding plans were then set in motion for my youngest son, even though the engagement had not yet happened. Kyle's plans were to get engaged to Tiia when he returned to Finland on Missions sometime this year, but all that changed in the twinkling of an eye on the 18th December 2011.

It didn’t take long for us to realise though that a wedding in Finland would also be necessary for Tiia’s family and friends that could not come to South Africa, and so Tiia set about sourcing a venue. The date they had set for the Finnish wedding was 14th July, but due to the venue being unavailable, the wedding was moved forward by a week … and Kyle did not complain at all. Fortunately I’m not involved in planning that wedding, but I’ll be very involved in arranging for my husband, Noel, and I to travel to Finland to attend.

Well, that explains three of the four weddings, and I’ve run out of sons. In fact, I've run out of children.

The fourth wedding belongs to my “adopted” (not literally) Indian daughter, Satja*. I’ll share more of her story another time, but to cut a long story short, Satja has recently adopted me and calls me “Mom.” Although, again, this will not be a wedding that we will be involved in planning, it’s exciting to have Satja bouncing wedding plans off me via BBM.  Rikesh proposed to Satja at midnight on 31st December 2011, so I wonder if their official engagement date is 31st December or 1st January 2012. I will have to ask her on my next BBM. Their wedding, the last to be planned and yet the first to take place, will happen in Durban on 23rd June. So, before Finland, a trip down to KwaZulu Natal.

Now you’ve had a brief introduction to my wonderful sons, Ryan and Kyle and my wedding belles, Amy, Tiia and Satja.  I’ll tell more of each of their unique engagements in my future blogs.

* (Names changed to protect their identities as Satja and Rikesh plan to go into Missions in the Muslim world.)

Proverbs 18v22:  "He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord."

Ryan & Amy

Kyle & Tiia

Four Weddings ...

I know, I know ... it does sound like the start of a movie title, but believe me, it's true. And at this point in my life, I would love to change that famous title to "Four Weddings and a crazily busy Mother."

Most would agree that it's more than enough for the average parent to cope with one wedding in a lifetime,  but four in the space of just seven weeks? - seems quite unbelievable.

This blog is my journey and how I cope with, and hopefully survive, Wedding Fever 2012. It's the stories too, of my wedding Belles (and Beaus).

So come along and join me for what promises to be one crazy year.

And just in case you think my maths doesn't add up, ie. two sons, four weddings, I'll shed more light on that next time.


Reminder to myself: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time ...


Philippians 4 v 12-13: "I have learned the secret of living in every situation ... for I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength."