By Reba Phelps
When planning a wedding there are so many intricate details that take months, sometimes years to perfect and organize. There is also a fair amount of stress involved. Even the coolest and calmest of brides can let their emotions get the best of them in a moments notice. Therefore, brides must always plan ahead to fend off any potential last minute surprises.
If the wedding venue is outdoors they will have a Plan B location simmering on the back-burner just in case the weather is not agreeable. They may even have a backup photographer or stand in brides maids if one falls ill on the big day. Brides also take special care in the planning of the cake. When will it be delivered? When will it be set up?
The cake is one detail that cannot fall through the cracks. The cake can either wow a crowd or leave them grumbling….cake and its icing must never disappoint the guests.
But, how does a bride pre-plan around a worldwide pandemic that could possibly cancel events across the nation?
My friend, Micah, and her fiancé’s wedding was a statistic of this very thing. They were to wed on March 28, 2020. Not even the most clear of crystal balls could see this one coming. Most brides would panic because all of the details were in the final stages of preparation.
The sentimental, and delectable, caramel flavored wedding cake, baked by the groom’s sister, was already in transit. The cake was the one thing that could not be rescheduled. Many brides around the nation were met with this same reality. But, I am not sure they all handled it as well as our friend did.
Micah isn’t one to let life’s circumstances stop her in her tracts nor is she the type to host a pity-party. Her mom and younger sister couldn’t agree more.
Her mom tells me, “She was an independent and determined child, she was always the planner of the family. She was the one to put together birthdays and holidays. When she moved out she would always come back and get her brother and her sister to stay with her. She was a loving sister to them and helped raise them. She was such a good child that it failed to prepare me for defiant children. She is always there for everybody.”
It came as no surprise to Micah’s sister that she didn’t let the delayed wedding ruin her spirit. Mallie shared, “Micah is everything a big sister should be and has always filled my life with happiness and adventure. She is also like my mom and watches over me to make sure that I am on the right track. She isn’t afraid to call me out when I am not doing my best. From the time I was a little girl I always wanted to grow up to be just like her.”
As soon as Micah found out that her wedding would have to be rescheduled I recruited our tough as nails friend to assist with the “Feeding our Heroes” initiative in Natchitoches. FOH is local group of volunteers who are dedicated to providing meals or desserts to the heroes and essential workers of the COVID19 pandemic while utilizing local restaurants.
Since she wouldn’t be honeymooning, I knew she would be the catalyst to bring it together with her mad marketing skills and “can do anything” spirit. I knew she would be the icing on the cake. She was also the keeper of the spreadsheet that housed the groups that were fed and what restaurant was used. During the flurry of activity I noticed that she would add to the spreadsheet where a cake would be delivered and she would mention, “as soon as this cake is iced it will be delivered to…..”
It took all of us a few layers of cake to realize that Micah had donated her whole sentimental and delectable, caramel flavored wedding cake layer by layer to various heroes in Natchitoches. Being the lover of cake that we are, we gently hinted around that we were heroes as well and would love a slice of that cake.
She never picked up the hints we were dropping….because, she always thinks of others before herself.
Sometimes God puts friends in your path that are much stronger than you are. They have been places that you have never been. They have seen things that you haven’t seen. They have experienced and survived more than the average human will in just one lifetime. It takes a lot to spook this kind of rock of a friend.
These friends are sent to tell you to get your life together when you are being weak and dramatic. These are the friends who go out of their way to help you feel good about yourself and see yourself how God sees you. These are the friends who act as a mirror and will completely tell you about yourself…in the direct kind of way that you will not soon forget.
If you are blessed enough to have one of these types of friends, they are the complete icing on the cake.
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
Proverbs 27:17
