IT’S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR

(i think i will never tire of neko case singing in my headphones.)

I’m back in Germany, and have been for a week; and there is much to tell.  In the course of three weeks, I…

…saw my mom, brothers, and “extended family” of friends from college
…slept…a lot
…ate increasingly less Nutella as time went on (!victory!)
…swam in the Ligurian Sea
…saw the Italian Riviera
…saw my dear, dear friend Amy Long get married to the love of her life
…saw Sir Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, and JUDE LAW onstage (my stomach’s still fluttering from that last one)
…got lost in Florence for a few hours…unfortunately, it wasn’t as breezy as it may sound
…took in art and artifacts at both Tate museums and Victoria and Albert (all of which are great, but V&A is stunning!  I can’t wait to go back someday!)
…saw Up! in 3D…well worth your time
…headed to Wal-Mart, Chick-Fil-A, Hamilton Place Mall, Plato’s Closet, World Market, Barnes and Noble…THANK YOU to dear Ashley Saturday for her love in this way
…received my very own copy of The Fountain of Youth – way to go, guys!!
…hiked a bit.

And more, even.

But all of that’s to come.  Right now, I have something plaguing my mind, and I decided to take it to the blog.  Naturalich.

I was puttering about online, and came across a wedding slideshow of an acquaintance of mine.  Worth a watch, I figured.  So I watched.  30 minutes later, I’ve completed that, discovered a new engagement also in my circle of acquaintances (and sifted through two Facebook albums documenting said engagement), and proceeded to scrutinize profiles of friends of mine who, now that I think about it, I could swear are THIS close to changing that relationship status.

Now, this doesn’t happen to me often…but I started to get so envious.  My stomach churned and my mouth pursed and the next thing I knew I was sticking out my tongue at the girls in the pictures.  Of COURSE the pictures are perfect…what else would befit these perfect girls with their perfect legs and their perfectly handsome fiances/husbands and their perfectly-sized groups of friends and their perfectly whole families!  Wedded bliss just around the corner, after a delightful season of party-planning and dress-shopping AND WHYARENTIONEOFTHEM.

I got up for a bathroom break (mercifully) and a little voice said, “But wait – you’re not jealous of Amy, are you?”  It doesn’t take long for me to realize:  no.  “Wait a minute,” the voice said – “isn’t there a pattern in these people you’re sticking out your tongue at?”  I thought.  Yes.  I don’t really know any of them.  Not really.  Going through all the people whom I hold close to my heart, though, I can’t think of any I’d stick out my tongue at.  I’m really, honestly happy for them.

And immediately I remembered last summer, being at Corinne and Josh Mather’s wedding, and talking with Charlotte Okie.  “I think it’s a miracle whenever anyone gets married,” she said in that quiet I’m-just-observing way.  She and I agreed:  whenever two sinful people love each other enough to say, “I pledge my life – body and soul – to you, sinful person whom I love”…and then it happens?  God HAS to be involved.  What a miraculous, mysterious, weird, beautiful thing!

I can’t stick my tongue out at these women whom I don’t know, because if it’s right (and as far as I can tell, it is), then it’s a divine appointment, having little to do with their perfect legs.  They’re just like Amy, whose new husband we prayed for even before we knew him.  They’re like Mrs. Miller, who was the first woman Mr. Miller ever dated.  They’re like Kara, whom Cantley finally got up the courage to pursue years after they’d known each other.  They’re like Mrs. Ward, whose Mr. Ward loved her and her kids enough to marry her and adopt them after they lost their husband and dad.

How can you be jealous of that?