If I could go back in time to September 6, 2009, and walk up to my former self, standing there in that beautiful Oleg Cassini Wedding gown, about to walk down the aisle towards my groom, here is what I would say: You are about to make the best and smartest decision of your entire life. You don't know this now, but in 10.5 years, a global pandemic will occur, causing life as you know it to change so drastically and so quickly that you will often feel like it must be a dream- or, more accurately, a nightmare. You will be ordered by the government to stay home for weeks, months- no one will be able to tell you for sure. Schools and businesses will shut down indefinitely, news anchors and TV hosts will be broadcasting from their living rooms, virtual zoom meetings will replace happy hours and play dates, and you will be home with your family 24/7 during this time.
But despite all the scary things going on in the world during this time, you will be okay because of this man you are about to marry. Actually, you will be more than okay. He has always been a provider in every sense of the word, but especially in this terrifying time he will provide you and your beautiful children with a sense of comfort and safety that you can't even begin to imagine. He will be your biggest cheerleader when you are feeling like you're not providing enough education for your children or when you're feeling guilty that they are missing out on so much in their lives. He will be your biggest supporter when you decide on a whim to take up running, when you try to transition your hair back to its original curly state even though that means you look like you stuck your head in an electrical outlet for weeks, and when you decide you want to bake Challah every Friday even though you've never made bread before in your entire life and don't have a bread maker. He will stay calm when you lose it and want to quit everything, telling you to go relax upstairs while he takes the kids for a long walk. He will be your partner when the kids are asleep at night, trying to make life seem as normal as possible by putting on the one show that always makes you laugh and forget all your problems (Veep). He will remind you constantly how lucky you both are to have these incredible children to be able to take care of and be with every day. He won't let you stay mad at him even if you try your hardest to start a fight because he knows you're just scared and frustrated and confused. There is no more important decision than the one you're making right now, and you will thank your lucky stars every day, but especially in the year 2020, that you did. Now go enjoy your day, and for goodness sake go enjoy the hell out of that Honeymoon to Paris because you might never get there again. Or maybe you will. We really don't know what's going on.
