There’s a lot of entering and exiting in a wedding. I remember being inundated with emotion each time: leaving my bridesmaids for our first-look photo shoot; entering the room where my groom was waiting; then entering the ceremony on the arm of my father to standing guests and vibrant music; then exiting on the arm of my husband in those very first moments of marriage; then entering again to be introduced to the dinner party; and then finally leaving the celebration and our sweet guests behind.
There is something about this ritualistic coming and going that reminds us of what transitions are. Despite our joy and excitement in beginning a new season, there are echoes of sorrow and nostalgia as we walk away from singleness, from our families of birth, to start a new family. With each entrance, we are welcomed into the presence of people who love us dearly. And we leave with their sweet well-wishes and blessing.
I still wrestle with what it means to have made this transition. There were vows, prayers, toasts, guestbook signatures– things that made it so real and official that day. But now we have to live this life that we promised to live, to walk out the faithfulness to which we were pledged. All of the entering and exiting was just the beginning. From now on, we will be traversing through seasons, in and out of joy and sorrow, joining and leaving communities.
We will also be joined and be left, as we celebrate the changing seasons in others’ lives. They will come and go, their friends and relatives will come and go, and we will continue to experience this tension of greetings and farewells.
Somehow I am reminded of the broader human narrative as I look at these images of entering and exiting. We come into this world, we live, and we go. But in these brief moments there are flashes of eternity; of a greater existence beyond our own short story of entrances and exits. And somehow those moments are woven together into the stories of others. The broader communal narrative echoes with everlasting gladness and joy, though our own big moments are truly small and humble.
Enter and exit with celebration and gratitude, friends. I am so grateful that these seasonal hellos and goodbyes are not the end of the story.
{Last week’s Wedding Snapshots: Why Your Girlfriends Still Matter}
