Today we are celebrating our 27th wedding anniversary! Wow! That sets a stage for reflection :) The actor and actress on this stage have come a long way...
When we say "I do" at the altar, we have no idea what is ahead. Dreams, hopes and happiness are all at the forefront of life at that moment. The honeymoon is all we can see and we are pretty sure that will last forever :)
Those who have been married any length of time are chuckling about now. Honeymoons are great - I wish we could have one every year :) However, the dust settles, the gifts are put on the shelves, and life moves forward at the pace of a cheetah chasing his prey.
How is it that my oldest turns 26 next month? My youngest graduates from high school in June? The first words out of our mouths when we climb out of bed in the morning are ... "ouch" :) Is that a grey hair I see...no, I really think it is the lighting...
Where did all those years ago???
If I could describe OUR years in one word....27 of them....it would be "adventure".
For better or for worse.....there have been great adventures and there have been tough ones.
For richer or for poorer....months of abundance and months of leanness
In sickness and in health....we've been so blessed to have good health as a couple and family. Injuries have been few and far between. We've only met our very high deductible twice - actually as of March 1st this year, we met ours for 2013 ALREADY (thanks kids!)
Marriage is work, raising children is a full-time job....and I wouldn't have traded my employment in this for anything. The stage God set for us in this journey my husband and I have been on has had many acts, many changes of costume, many laughs, many tears, scenes where we forgot our lines or the role we were meant to play, times when we felt the curtain could come down at any moment, but then God shows up and there is applause.
As I penned a few thoughts on facebook this morning honoring the man God gave me, I thought "I wonder if this seems gushy and sentimental. My words are my heart. I honor and respect this man more than I can even express. I will go to the ends of the earth with him (which by the way could very well happen if God has anything to say about our adventure :). I am in love with him and would say "I do" all over again. I have had a great life with him." This month I've seen many anniversaries celebrated vocally on facebook. It is wonderful and honoring. But friends ... and singles.... those years and couples being honored have not come upon the celebration without a struggle. We do not take anniversaries lightly. The years of marriage are held together by the rolling up of our sleeves and working all things through....the deepest form of commitment. Through the fires which destroyed everything, through the injuries or illness which wipes out the bank account, through the leanness of no employment and there is a family to feed, through the challenges and through the victories. Through the losses and the gains. Through the times when misunderstanding, criticism or being judgmental can destroy it all. And the intense joy and yes, happiness, that comes from years of side-by-side living.
The results of 27 years....joy, deep commitment, character development (sounds cliche, but this ole' girl is not the same as she was 9,855 days ago... all credited to God's patience with me and what comes out of the iron sharpening iron of marriage and raising children), having a husband who believes in you to be all God created you to be. And to believe in your husband and children to see them living out the purposes of God in and through them.
If we wives (and husbands) are gushy about our anniversaries, indulge us, please. We have come a long way. We have seen God come through. This marriage is about more than just happiness, it is about vision, a mission and seeing God glorified through each and every year we had together and for the years and adventures ahead. Revealing Christ to a world that needs to see healthy relationships...not perfect, but healthy and surviving.
I love this man and I am sentimental today. As I was praying for him this morning, he walked into the room with a dozen red roses....I felt like the actress at the end of the play...roses presented and God applauding. I love you, Jim!
When we say "I do" at the altar, we have no idea what is ahead. Dreams, hopes and happiness are all at the forefront of life at that moment. The honeymoon is all we can see and we are pretty sure that will last forever :)
Those who have been married any length of time are chuckling about now. Honeymoons are great - I wish we could have one every year :) However, the dust settles, the gifts are put on the shelves, and life moves forward at the pace of a cheetah chasing his prey.
How is it that my oldest turns 26 next month? My youngest graduates from high school in June? The first words out of our mouths when we climb out of bed in the morning are ... "ouch" :) Is that a grey hair I see...no, I really think it is the lighting...
Where did all those years ago???
If I could describe OUR years in one word....27 of them....it would be "adventure".
For better or for worse.....there have been great adventures and there have been tough ones.
For richer or for poorer....months of abundance and months of leanness
In sickness and in health....we've been so blessed to have good health as a couple and family. Injuries have been few and far between. We've only met our very high deductible twice - actually as of March 1st this year, we met ours for 2013 ALREADY (thanks kids!)
Marriage is work, raising children is a full-time job....and I wouldn't have traded my employment in this for anything. The stage God set for us in this journey my husband and I have been on has had many acts, many changes of costume, many laughs, many tears, scenes where we forgot our lines or the role we were meant to play, times when we felt the curtain could come down at any moment, but then God shows up and there is applause.
As I penned a few thoughts on facebook this morning honoring the man God gave me, I thought "I wonder if this seems gushy and sentimental. My words are my heart. I honor and respect this man more than I can even express. I will go to the ends of the earth with him (which by the way could very well happen if God has anything to say about our adventure :). I am in love with him and would say "I do" all over again. I have had a great life with him." This month I've seen many anniversaries celebrated vocally on facebook. It is wonderful and honoring. But friends ... and singles.... those years and couples being honored have not come upon the celebration without a struggle. We do not take anniversaries lightly. The years of marriage are held together by the rolling up of our sleeves and working all things through....the deepest form of commitment. Through the fires which destroyed everything, through the injuries or illness which wipes out the bank account, through the leanness of no employment and there is a family to feed, through the challenges and through the victories. Through the losses and the gains. Through the times when misunderstanding, criticism or being judgmental can destroy it all. And the intense joy and yes, happiness, that comes from years of side-by-side living.
The results of 27 years....joy, deep commitment, character development (sounds cliche, but this ole' girl is not the same as she was 9,855 days ago... all credited to God's patience with me and what comes out of the iron sharpening iron of marriage and raising children), having a husband who believes in you to be all God created you to be. And to believe in your husband and children to see them living out the purposes of God in and through them.
If we wives (and husbands) are gushy about our anniversaries, indulge us, please. We have come a long way. We have seen God come through. This marriage is about more than just happiness, it is about vision, a mission and seeing God glorified through each and every year we had together and for the years and adventures ahead. Revealing Christ to a world that needs to see healthy relationships...not perfect, but healthy and surviving.
I love this man and I am sentimental today. As I was praying for him this morning, he walked into the room with a dozen red roses....I felt like the actress at the end of the play...roses presented and God applauding. I love you, Jim!
