September 24, 2009
“Things have a way of getting lost, if you don't ." -Ed McMahon
Since we last talked, dear readers, our son's wedding has come and gone, breathtakingly beautiful and without noticeable mishaps, I might add. However, there was one problem--we lost some things. And let me tell you, losing things and trying to find them again at a wedding is not a "piece of wedding cake".
I'll explain.
When I first read the above quote, I knew instantly what Ed McMahon (not Johnny Carson's Ed McMahon, but an eldercare care professional) intended. If you stay calm and don't lose yourself to excessive "wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth" when you lose an object, you might just find it again.
I experienced McMahon's "law of the universe" firsthand last weekend at our son's out-of-state wedding.
Since it was a "destination wedding", thorough packing was required. Still, despite careful planning, important things could be left behind.
And once there, important things could be lost as well.
I learned that when one loses or forgets something special, even at a wedding, one must move forward calmly, quit looking for the lost or forgotten object, and accept the fact it is gone. In other words, give up.
There were several instances throughout the wedding weekend when Ed McMahon's advice about losing things spoke loudly to me.
My husband and I picked up the parents of the bride at their hotel and off we drove together to what we deemed the amazing, fabulous and extraordinary wedding of our children. Pardon my gushing. (I'm a mom; it is allowed.)
We parents, all four of us, were shiny and spiffy for the big day and were sporting new wedding clothes and special accessories. When the bride's mother got in the car, she mentioned quite calmly that she forgot to pack the family earrings she planned to wear for her daughter's wedding. I marveled at her tranquility in light of her sadness at that. Interestingly, we both spoke at the same time saying the same thing, "It will be just fine and besides the hairdo covers the ears anyway."
It was then I shared with her that just minutes earlier I noticed that my mother's ring with stones representing each of our children was no longer on my little finger. I put it on just before we left (I know I did) but apparently it fell off. As sad as that was for me, the bride's mother and I said once again and almost in unison, "You know what, it will be just fine, and besides it can always be replaced later."
We gave up, forgot our losses, and enjoyed the day's activities.
Another item was lost at the welcome dinner the day before the wedding--a cousin lost her brand new beautiful navy blue sweater with brass buttons. Another cousin lost her camera at a restaurant the first day she arrived for the wedding weekend.
One resigned herself to the fact her sweater was lost, and the other bought a new camera.
They relinquished their worry and forgot their losses just like we did.
Epilogue: the restaurant found the lost sweater; the bride's mother's special earrings were safe and sound at home and no one could see she didn't have them anyway; and my cousin's new camera was better than her old one.
Everyone's loss was resolved, except mine.
When we finally got back to the hotel late at night after the wedding festivities ended, I dropped into a chair in the corner, exhausted. There in front of me, as big as you please, was my ring waiting patiently for me on the floor.
Now, if I could just get the clasp loose on the bracelet I wore to the wedding. It has been on my wrist for days now.
Apparently, there is no losing it. I am not sure what law of the universe covers that.
