Anniversary Thoughts

We are celebrating our 46th wedding anniversary this Sunday. Actually, we’re taking the whole weekend to enjoy some “us” time, which is pretty great! Today Randy came up with some fun things to do, a couple of estate sales, and yes, we bought a few things. Randy was looking for a six foot ladder, and we found one! These little jars were my addition to my windowsill.

On our way to a nearby lake, we spotted an ice cream shop, so of course, we had to stop! Lunch was white chocolate raspberry with chocolate chunks ice cream, along with a walk to the water where we were the only ones on the deserted beach. It’s not quite warm enough for swimming, and the kids are still in school. Summer is coming though.

Tomorrow we are trying out a new restaurant, one of my favorite things to do. And perhaps we will make cinnamon rolls with fresh-milled flour in our bread machine or try a cookie recipe with some kind of chocolate.

It’s not exactly a trip like we’ve done in years past, but little things can be memorable too. What’s hardest for me to accept is that we’ve been married 46 years! Four years away from 50! I remember when we were planning a party for my parents’ 50th and then their 60th! Never, ever expected to be where they once stood, but then when we’re young, we don’t, do we? How is it possible that I’m the age my mother-in-law was when we got married?

Yet here we are. As we were out driving around enjoying time together, I read of Timothy Keller’s passing. Such news always reminds me of the brevity of life. We really don’t live long in comparison to eternity. Temporary life. Which is why our time together means even more.

Some people might say this is why we should live in the moment. We can’t live in the past, no matter how much some people try to do so. We can’t know if we will have a future, so live now, right? And yet…

The future lasts a whole lot longer than our time here. It’s why I wish I could remind everyone I know to cherish the time with the people who love you. You don’t know how long you will have them here. Don’t waste a moment. Regrets of time lost aren’t worth it.

And don’t look at the future without planning for it. I don’t mean planning your funeral. I mean being ready for what comes after this life. Whether we want to accept it or not, this life is not all there is. Jesus came to give us life eternal. He rose from the grave so we could too one day. He conquered death so we could live. He is God and He is good.

When we got married 46 years ago, we had a song titled, “God Bless This Marriage” sung during the ceremony. God has blessed it. He’s blessed our home and our children and we are grateful.

So we celebrate each other this weekend, and the God who gave us to each other and has been with us every step of the way. We’ve weathered many a storm and those storms aren’t over yet. But we’ve known many a joy too, and we focus on those. And on the joys yet to come.

~Selah