The snow makes everything still.
It was a phrase that came to us mid-Advent, I think, as we were bustling to tie ribbons and check items off lists. We wanted to slow down, because waiting is what that season of anticipation is, after all. But slowness requires quiet, and quiet, stillness. And stillness in a world of movement and deals and bang-for-your-buck is just hard sometimes. So, we put it in big-lettered boldness on our mantle:
J O Y I N T H E S T I L L N E S S
And we kept finding it, not only tucked away in the fire-lit evenings of cold December, but also on the altar on the day before Christmas Eve.
As the white snow fell down in big, fluffy flakes outside the stained-glass windows, the church where Carol and Ethan were committing their lives to the hardship and bliss of marriage was full of all the joy in the world. And all of the stillness.
It was a beautiful sight to witness, these two very young ones, surrounded by their friends - souls brimming with courageous faith - who were defying all the hustle and bustle of the world by sitting in silence, waiting for their life to begin together.
It was an honor to witness your day through the lens, Carol and Ethan, and may the joy continue to be tucked in the stillness of your freshly married hearts.
Enjoy,
Rachel