“Wonder when the florist will be here?” said the anxious
Mother of the Bride, ‘They said they would deliver the flowers at least twenty
minutes before time for the wedding.“
“I’m sure they will be here if that’s what they told you,“ I
said, trying not to show any anxiety. “You did tell them the Worship Center and
not the Chapel, didn’t you?” I ask.
“Yes, I did.”
“Did you talk with them yesterday to confirm delivery time?”
I inquired.
“No, should I have?” The Mother of the Bride was beginning
to be more and more anxious.
It was an evening wedding and, as I looked at my watch, I
realized the shop had already closed for the day. I hoped that they had closed
the doors and headed this way.
A few more minutes past………..no florist. By now, the bride
was in a bigger tizzy than she had been. She was in the dressing area; frantic
because no flowers had arrived.
Well, what is a bridal consultant to do? Although we were
just the photographers for this wedding and I wasn’t the consultant, I knew I
had to do something to save the day…………..but what?
I went back outside hoping to see the florist drive up with
bouquet, corsages and boutonniere in hand but there was no one other than the
remaining guests who were arriving. It was then I spotted them; there on the
hillside beside the drive to the Worship Center were wild flowers waving in the
breeze just beaconing me to help myself.
“John, give me your pocket knife………quickly.” He proceeded to
pull out his knife, open it and hand it to me. Onto the hillside I climbed amid
the flowers. I began to cut them as fast as I could until I thought I had a
sufficient amount. I clambered back down; rushed in and found a rubber band in
the trusty case I always carried with me for those last minute needs of a
bride. I hurriedly twisted the band around the flowers; fluffed them a bit and
carried them into the bride.
“Honey, I guess these will have to do since it’s about five
minutes before time for the wedding to begin.”
The bride was crying by then and I think if I had handed her
a handful of weeds, she would have been thankful.
“Oh, thank you, thank you,” she said, amid her tears. “They
are beautiful!”
The Mothers had no corsages; no boutonniere for the groom or
fathers. But, the bride had a bouquet to carry that day.
I am glad I wasn’t within hearing distance at the flower
shop the next day when the bride’s mother walked in. But, I was glad that God
had placed those wildflowers there just when they were needed. I could have
done without the chiggers that nested among them though. I itched for a week!
Isn’t it amazing how God provides for our needs? These
weren’t the flowers the bride had planned for but for some reason, God provided
what was necessary at the time. God doesn’t always fulfill our desires; He
doesn’t always provide us with flowers and sunny days. Sometimes, there are the
showers and the wildflowers, but there is always a reason for those. Perhaps,
it’s so we will enjoy the things in life that we had overlooked.
“For he knows we are but dust and that our days are few and
brief, like grass, like flowers, blown by the wind and gone forever.” Psalm
103: 14-16 TLB
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