As we celebrate 43 years of marriage on September 25, I have reflected on the journey.
Our life has been like a patchwork quilt, each year being a different square.
Each season was different, some more colorful than others. Some had more regular, recognizable designs. Others, even now in memory, seem random, even chaotic.
Sometimes the stitching between squares (seasons) was a bit weak or imperfect. Threads had to be ripped out and re-sown.
But with each new square, the quilt felt more warm, familiar, comforting. That quilt of our lives became big enough to enfold us.
And now, we have a history. As more and more people have moved to Heaven, the list of those who can remember us as we were long ago is shrinking!
We have had one apartment and two houses. We have lived in the same city our entire marriage.
We have one child, and one grandchild.
We had eight cats (three planned, five unplanned😱)), three rabbits and one hamster. We now have three grandpuppies.
We traveled to various states, Canada and the Bahamas. We both traveled abroad before we met each other. Since we both saw some of the same places, we can still reminisce.
A lot of our memories now are about the times that were challenging. With age, we remember less of those times we failed each other and we remember more of the times we were there for each other.
We both cared for all four of our aging parents in different ways. We held hands at each of their funerals, united in our faith we would see them again.
We delighted in our only child from before her formal arrival through every stage that followed. We tried to be good sports, as she tried her wings and moved further and further away.
But we really rejoice now that she has come home. And she brought us a son in law and a grandson!
There were tough times in our marriage. We had multiple surgeries or illnesses that severely impacted our lives.
There were times when we did not show each other the best of love. In fact, there were moments when we did not even like each other. And we said so, in very graphic terms. But thankfully, those moments did not last long.
We learned how to forgive and try again. Finding the best of our love was worth the temporary pain of words thrown like weapons in the heat of an argument.
We continued to enjoy being physical with each other. But we learned there is much more that can satisfy a body than hormone driven passion. The joy of a good foot rub cannot be overrated!😘
Those who know us still marvel a bit that we even ended up together, much less stayed together for 43 years. We are very different personalities. That being said, it is a given that we can severely get on each other’s nerves!
So how have we stayed together for the long haul? We both keep learning one key lesson from God.
As much as we try to make the other a “mini-me,” we are not made in each other’s image. We are not alike.
We are made in God’s Image. He is still creating us individually. He is fitting us together in The Way He ordains.
Our being together is a part of God’s Plan.
For eight years, we taught nursing together.
We taught three different Sunday School classes together.
We led small groups together.
We published two books together.
We have a You Tube channel where we share Christian teaching.
As different as we are, when we focus together on the assignments God gives us, we find joy, not only in the work, but in each other.
We are not the same people as the ones who made promises back in 1977. We have changed and are still changing. We have found the most important promises are the ones we make to God every day.
God never changes and as long as He continues to mold us together, we will continue to circle the sun together. We love God and we love each other.
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
1 John 3:2
We went to Disney World for our honeymoon. It became our favorite “go to” place. One of our favorites was the Illumination fireworks show.
The closing song became our song. I invite you to enjoy it with us. Here is the link.
