It’s been a challenging few weeks and this is the pinnacle.
I’m writing to let you know that Michaela and I have decided to postpone our wedding celebration from 06.12.20, until 05.02.21.
Those words hold immense weight as the loss of our wedding is still fresh. We have spent this morning preparing an announcement which you can find below. However, I want to preface this post with some additional context to help make more sense of this decision. I would venture to guess that while our current struggle is different than yours, it is similar beneath the surface. I would love for you to find value in what is to come.
Life isn’t fair and that’s been something that I came to understand as a child when I began to lose eyesight without advanced notice. I woke up one morning, without warning, and was blind in one eye. In the decade (plus) since then, as my sight has ebbed and flowed, I have struggled to understand why this is happening to me. The road that I’m on has taken me through doubt, anguish, hopelessness and anxiousness. It has been nothing but easy, however, I understand it now.
Life is happening for us.
I have learned that we have very little control over what happens to us in this life, but we are always in control of the choices that we make, always. This includes both attitude (perspective) and effort (actions). It’s not about what happens to us, but rather, it’s about how we respond that matters.
“Worry is interest paid on trouble before it comes due.”
William R. Inge
It’s human to suffer and there’s no avoiding hardship. It happens to us all, in different timing and different forms, but it happens. Some of us seem to get hit harder than others, but one thing is for sure; even though life isn’t fair, it can always be worse. I’ve learned to choose gratitude over sorrow because at it’s best, sustained sadness brings no value. There is a time and a place for acknowledging and feeling difficult emotions, but wallowing in them does us no good.
It’s not about the adversity that we face, but how we face the adversity.
One of the hardest things for me has been dealing with the uncertain nature of life. Every night, I go to sleep not knowing if I will wake up able to see at the same level . I have no idea what tomorrow holds and that scares me. However, this season of life, like others, is reminding me that worrying does nothing but hold me back. It was a lesson that I first took to heart when my parents convinced me to attend graduate school despite the “what if’s” that surround my sight. The decision to pursue school despite not knowing what would happen turned out to be the best decision of my life because it led me to my soon to be wife.
“Faith and fear both demand you believe in something you cannot see.”
Bob Proctor
When I look back, I can see that God has guided me thus far and I trust that He has this situation under control as well. We might not have been able to plan our wedding how we imagined, but we trust that it will happen how it is supposed to. We might not understand the reason for this season of life or change of plans, but we trust that it is happening for us and not just to us. The faith that we share in God has helped turn our “what ifs” into “even ifs.” Instead of worrying about what might happen down the road, we can come back to the trust that no matter what happens, God is working for our good.
Even if we can’t have the wedding that we dreamed of, our faith will hold us up and we will still have each other.
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Dear Family and Friends.
Back in April of 2019, we got engaged and since then, we have spent countless hours dreaming of and planning our wedding. So much time, effort, and energy has gone into ensuring that June 12th, 2020 would be a day filled with love, laughter, and celebration. Over the past month, we have tried our best not to think about the potential implications that COVID-19 could have on our wedding plans. It has been a challenging month filled with many long conversations and difficult decisions. It’s with a heavy heart that we inform you that we will be postponing our wedding celebration until May 2nd, 2021. Although a hard one, this decision was made out of love and concern for the health and safety of our guests and those that they come in contact with.
Though we are disappointed in the circumstances, we are not discouraged. Despite postponing our wedding celebration, we have decided to get married on May 2nd, 2020, in just under one month. While it’s not the wedding that we planned, we both trust deeply that this is part of God’s plan for us. We feel grateful to have each other and to know the love of God. We are choosing to get married in the midst of these trying times because we know that the world needs love now more than ever. It is our hope that our marriage will be an encouragement to the world; that it will be one that exemplifies how God loves us.
It’s still hard for us to lose our ideal wedding, but it’s even more exciting to know that we will be beginning a marriage sooner than expected. We appreciate your understanding, endless support, and overwhelming love.
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 10:9-10
With so much love,
Michaela and Joe
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This has been a difficult decision and a trying time, however, in perspective it makes sense to me. I told Michaela the other night that no matter how hard this time in our life might feel, there will come a time in the future that will be even harder. I’m not sure when it will happen, but there will be a time that we will wish to come back to these tough times because despite the heaviness that we feel, we have each other and we have time ahead of us. God is on our side and He is working this for good. I trust Him.
“The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.”
George Mueller
I believe that this is just the beginning of an amazing story, in bigger hands and for a greater good. I will continue to keep you updated on our wedding plans and I hope that we can encourage you in some way, shape or form. Despite what you believe, where you put your trust or how you’re feeling. Take care of yourself. Look out for those around you. Control what you can control. Have some faith. Be the best that you can be and please don’t hesitate to reach out if there is anything that we can do for you. encouragement.
Thank you so much,
Joe Rinaldi (and Michaela Horst)
IG: @joearinaldi
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