Blessings in Disguise

I went to my girlfriend's fortieth birthday party last Saturday. This party had been in planning mode for several months and my girlfriend did much of the planning/organizing herself. Friends of hers had offered their home, a beautiful spot that had that renovated old farmhouse kind of feel to it. Next to the house was a long dirt road that led to a huge open field which is where the party was to take place. A live band was booked so alot of time and energy went into making sure they would have power, which they did, thanks to my husband and a few others.

I arrived early with my husband so I could help with the set up process while he played with electricity. There were a few others there helping, as well as my girlfriend herself. We have a big party every October with live music so I understand completely how vital those last couple of hours are before the guests start arriving. I love that time right before the party starts, when you've got a cold drink in your hand, the final touches are being put into place, and you're able to look around and see how all of your hard work has come together... before everything gets trashed!

The set up process on Saturday was more work than most parties I've assisted with as there were alot of trips back and forth from the house, up the dirt road, to the field, down the dirt road and back to the house! It was a hot, muggy day with showers forecasted for some time that evening but everyone was just hoping for the best. Mother Nature is going to do what she wants, when she wants, and that's all there is to that!

The party got started slowly but surely as people trickled in. The band arrived and took what seemed like a very long time to set up (almost two hours). Eventually the big open field didn't seem so open any more as more people arrived, placing their chairs and various belongings on the grass. The caterer arrived as scheduled and food began to be put out on the waiting tables. A few more trips up and down the dirt road as the food in the kitchen was added to what the caterer brought. Let's see...pulled pork, barbequed chicken, beef tips, macaroni and cheese, pasta, salad, cole slaw, potato salad (and more potato salad!), black bean salad, rolls, corn bread and probably something I've forgotten...YUM! Dinner was served!

Everyone was settled, people were eating and drinking and the music began to play. It was official, my girlfriend's celebration was under way! As I looked around at all the smiling faces I felt like the many hours she had spent thinking and stressing and planning and executing, had paid off and I knew she must have been filled with happiness and a sense of pride at that moment, knowing that it all came together so perfectly.

People finished eating and the band was now in full swing. The dancing had begun and the beer was flowing. As I sat chatting with some neighbors I felt a raindrop. No big deal I thought, just a passing shower. A few more, then a few more. No big deal, people are still dancing and noone's going to melt. Then it started to come down a bit harder. Not enough rain to end the party but people were now seeking shelter under the tents which housed the food, or in the wooden gazebo that stood on the grounds, putting on raincoats and holding umbrellas. That's how it went for a bit and then the skies opened up. The band stopped playing and several of us started treking down the dirt path food in hand... Oh crap! Time to move the party indoors.

Some people left, but little by little the kitchen started filling up with bodies. Womens hair-dos, now lay flat and dripping water down the sides of their faces. Soggy desserts were being placed on the kitchen table and the tell tale sign of a rainstorm, muddy footprints, led from the kitchen door across the floor into various rooms of the house. One thing stayed the same though, well maybe two - smiles were still planted on everyone's face, including the birthday girls, and the beer was still flowing!

Pretty soon people had found a place to plant themselves. Whether the kitchen, the play room with their kids, the living room or the outdoor porch, which was protected from the rain by an overhang, everyone seemed settled and happy. Yay! I thought, party...one, rain...zero! Shortly after the move inside I noticed the members of the band were still there. They had decided to set up on the porch and play an acoustic set or two.

The music began, suddenly the porch was overflowing with people and the rain drenched air filled with the sound of voices. Out on that huge field, people had settled into visiting with groups they felt comfortable with, but here, not only were the different groups of people mingling, they were combining their voices in a good old fashioned sing-along!

The rain continued for hours and so did the music and the singing. It was honestly the best time I've had at a party in ages. It reminded me of what my household sounded like as a kid growing up. All of our family parties at some point or another turned into a sing-along, accomanied by an instrument or two, and there's really nothing that brings me the same kind of warm feeling as the intimate sound of voices coming together in such a joyful way.

So the next time life is raining down on you in buckets, whether literally or figuratively, look for the hidden blessings because more often than not, they arrive in disguise.

xo,
Carrie