Reaching a milestone with happy tears...
This morning, I awoke to thoughts of writing this blog...what I would say, how I would say it and what I would try to convey. My loving husband of thirty years apparently had beaten me to it by composing his own letter to me.
I fully intended to get up, make my coffee and sit down at my computer and write something inspiring, uplifting and...and...I don't know.
I wanted to say that we'd hit a milestone, thirty years of being married. That through the good times, the bad times...the times of tears and laughter, that we'd made it through. And we have. There were times when I know we both ended our day with anger, and frustration, but we never went to sleep without telling each other that we loved the other. We never left the house without saying I love you. That was and still is the rule. Wedded bliss? I'm not sure there is such a thing.
I have to admit, I'm stubborn. I don't give up easily, and praise God, neither does Chris. God has gotten us through some stuff...some real stuff, but always, my faith in God has stood and my faith and love for Chris has deepened even more than I had ever dreamed.
Over thirty years ago, I asked God for a man who He wanted in my life. That very day, a man running out of a building to take the weights and balances to the pilot of the plane he was dispatching, knocked me on my butt, right on the incredibly hot ramp of Tucson International Airport. After assuring each other that we were okay, we went our separate ways. He later, I don't know if it was that night, or a few nights later, called his Mother to tell her he'd found the woman he was going to marry. I, on the other hand, was annoyed, yet intrigued by an answer to prayer. This is not the person I had envisioned God putting into my life. Our start was pretty rough, but when I began talking to him, and looked into those blue eyes, despite myself I fell in love.
Thirty years ago, on a very hot evening, I walked the aisle of a small Baptist Church. At the end of the aisle stood a man who had captured my heart, and, as it happened, that of my little girl, Andrea. His sparkling blue eyes, mischievous grin, and insatiable energy matched that of the little girl who at alternating times had as much energy as he, and then as much as a turtle in reverse. The fact that he loved her as much as he loved me endeared him to me even more. My pastor then, had given me a letter that Chris had written during our pre-marital counselling...a letter that I still have, and gave to him to read this morning, and when I read it then, I was sure of my destiny, that God was directing me to an uncertain path, full of twists, and turns. Full of hills, valleys and mountains. Full of tears, laughter, births, deaths, good economic times and not so good economic times. We've grown, we've had arguments, we've had times of love that there are no words for. And we made it through them all. We've made it to a milestone that many never see. And we are looking forward to the rest of our lives, to see where old age, when we get there, will take us.
There are so many uncertain times ahead. Our Country is on the brink of division and the economy, while it's stable right now, bears an uncertainty that we look at and sometimes wonder if retirement will bring poverty or prosperity. Then we get phone calls like the one I got last night from our Granddaughter, Khloe...so excited about her first day of school, and staying the night Saturday so she can go to Bible School on Sunday. Further back, we look at the birth of that same Granddaughter, and remember when we first saw her, moments after she was born. It was an amazing moment.
Our lives have been filled with amazing moments, amazing friends, amazing...everything.
Thirty years ago, I could not have imagined all that we've been through, all that we've seen, all that we've experienced. I would have not been able to tell you that my love for the man at the end of that aisle thirty years ago would have grown to the point that I don't know what I would do without him...that I can't imagine my life without him beside me...supporting me, chiding me, encouraging me, loving me, and that together, thirty years later, we would look forward to thirty, forty, fifty years...however long God has planned for us. Hand in hand we will go, no matter what is ahead, we will face it together.
Happy 30th Anniversary, Christopher! I love you more than I did then, and I can't imagine my life without you.
I fully intended to get up, make my coffee and sit down at my computer and write something inspiring, uplifting and...and...I don't know.
I wanted to say that we'd hit a milestone, thirty years of being married. That through the good times, the bad times...the times of tears and laughter, that we'd made it through. And we have. There were times when I know we both ended our day with anger, and frustration, but we never went to sleep without telling each other that we loved the other. We never left the house without saying I love you. That was and still is the rule. Wedded bliss? I'm not sure there is such a thing.
I have to admit, I'm stubborn. I don't give up easily, and praise God, neither does Chris. God has gotten us through some stuff...some real stuff, but always, my faith in God has stood and my faith and love for Chris has deepened even more than I had ever dreamed.
Over thirty years ago, I asked God for a man who He wanted in my life. That very day, a man running out of a building to take the weights and balances to the pilot of the plane he was dispatching, knocked me on my butt, right on the incredibly hot ramp of Tucson International Airport. After assuring each other that we were okay, we went our separate ways. He later, I don't know if it was that night, or a few nights later, called his Mother to tell her he'd found the woman he was going to marry. I, on the other hand, was annoyed, yet intrigued by an answer to prayer. This is not the person I had envisioned God putting into my life. Our start was pretty rough, but when I began talking to him, and looked into those blue eyes, despite myself I fell in love.
Thirty years ago, on a very hot evening, I walked the aisle of a small Baptist Church. At the end of the aisle stood a man who had captured my heart, and, as it happened, that of my little girl, Andrea. His sparkling blue eyes, mischievous grin, and insatiable energy matched that of the little girl who at alternating times had as much energy as he, and then as much as a turtle in reverse. The fact that he loved her as much as he loved me endeared him to me even more. My pastor then, had given me a letter that Chris had written during our pre-marital counselling...a letter that I still have, and gave to him to read this morning, and when I read it then, I was sure of my destiny, that God was directing me to an uncertain path, full of twists, and turns. Full of hills, valleys and mountains. Full of tears, laughter, births, deaths, good economic times and not so good economic times. We've grown, we've had arguments, we've had times of love that there are no words for. And we made it through them all. We've made it to a milestone that many never see. And we are looking forward to the rest of our lives, to see where old age, when we get there, will take us.
There are so many uncertain times ahead. Our Country is on the brink of division and the economy, while it's stable right now, bears an uncertainty that we look at and sometimes wonder if retirement will bring poverty or prosperity. Then we get phone calls like the one I got last night from our Granddaughter, Khloe...so excited about her first day of school, and staying the night Saturday so she can go to Bible School on Sunday. Further back, we look at the birth of that same Granddaughter, and remember when we first saw her, moments after she was born. It was an amazing moment.
Our lives have been filled with amazing moments, amazing friends, amazing...everything.
Thirty years ago, I could not have imagined all that we've been through, all that we've seen, all that we've experienced. I would have not been able to tell you that my love for the man at the end of that aisle thirty years ago would have grown to the point that I don't know what I would do without him...that I can't imagine my life without him beside me...supporting me, chiding me, encouraging me, loving me, and that together, thirty years later, we would look forward to thirty, forty, fifty years...however long God has planned for us. Hand in hand we will go, no matter what is ahead, we will face it together.
Happy 30th Anniversary, Christopher! I love you more than I did then, and I can't imagine my life without you.
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