I continue to reflect on our 40 year marriage.
Which do you think is better — young love or old love?
When we were young, what we thought was Love was really a combination of lust and a desire for approval.
We tried to create each other in our image. We wanted the other to be more like us … think like us … act like us.
We had not yet learned what it means to be uniquely created in God’s Image.
We were like the tides, bringing both trash and treasures from the deep parts of us.
It took awhile to learn what were the true treasures to keep and what we should release back into the deep.
We discovered an intimacy that allowed us to love deeper than we ever thought possible.
Knowing each other so well also allowed us to hurt each other more deeply than anyone else could.
But within the pain was a longing to persevere for the joy of something we knew was good.
We learned the beauty of touch. We recognize each other’s shape and form in the dark.
We know the comforting hand squeeze that speaks volumes of “I’m here. I care. I love you. I’ll never leave you.”
We’ve seen each other transform physically. We have been all sizes and shapes. Our hair has been different colors and textures. We have developed the lines on our faces that say, “We’ve lived.”
We shared the wonder of waiting together for ten (Yes TEN) months to meet our child. We have shared the joy of seeing her grow through all stages into an amazing young woman.
We have been at each other’s side through illnesses, injuries and surgeries. We have shared the powerlessness of not being able to relieve each other’s pain.
We have learned we are not God. He is. We have learned how to pray for each other and release our individual and joint lives to Him.
We have searched together for the meaning of life and our place in it. We have experienced the joy of discovering we are two bonded by God into one, for His Purposes.
We have learned about death and sad goodbyes. We were witnesses to our parents’ declarations of love to each other in their old age.
We stood together at the graves of all four of our parents. We walked away, hand in hand, knowing the day would likely come when one of us would walk away alone.
We have a history. What we thought was our life at the time we were living it was only a season.
Now in our old age, God has woven all those seasons together into a warm blanket of memories for us.
We are blessed we can still remember. We can start many stories with “remember when” and enjoy our life events all over again.
We do not know how long God will assign us to continue to serve Him together as an earth couple. But we know this.
Old Love is far better and richer and deeper than young love. And God’s Love revealed through us is a continuing Gift. We praise Him and thank Him every day.
Take a few minutes and enjoy Alan Jackson’s song, “Remember When.”
