Happy Anniversary to us!!

We’re having dinner with Eldest Daughter and her husband. I’ve just finished turning dough into little balls in muffin tins for cloverleaf rolls (and a couple of loaves, too – it made a lot!), checked the macaroni salad she loves to be certain the flavors blended, baked beans are ready and there are two racks of ribs slowly roasting in the oven. Comfort food!! Everything will be ready after church except baking the bread. Whooo hooo – that sweet smell of yeast bread will waft through the house.

Today is our forty-seventh wedding anniversary. I have no idea what the statistics are about reaching that stage of marriage, but in our church they are pretty good. Just last week there was a fifty-fifth anniversary celebrated.

Yesterday I posted some verses regarding marriage: Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. (Genesis 2:24 KJV) New Testament verses reference this three times: Matthew 19:5, Mark 10:7, Ephesians 5:31.

Please note that it doesn’t say:

Until I leave when he/she doesn’t pay attention to me.

Until I meet someone new who really loves me.

Until I finish my degrees and outgrow him/her.

Until he/she doesn’t accept the changes I need.

Until … whatever is said just before a spouse walks out

Weddings are simply the beginning. It’s the celebration of a single event and will not carry a couple through their first month of marriage. Honeymoons last a bit longer, but won’t carry through the first month, either.

There is no single key within two people for a successful marriage. It’s the commitment to each other, and a God centered marriage makes it much easier. It is possible to grow away from each other, but if each is keeping God in the center of their lives, they are always drawn together.

Have we fought? Oh, yes – Olympic gold medal winning arguments. Have we sulked, whined, complained? Yep – all of that, too. We’ve lost jobs and gotten new ones. Bought homes, sold them, moved and bought another. Lived there and moved here.

Have we had fun? Immeasurable, and ongoing. Have we had joy? Three children, their spouses, seven grandchildren, three with their spouses, and four great-grandchildren are so very capable of providing joy just within their smiles!! And, our extended family and friends who share our live and loves just add to the equation.

We know the law: For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (Romans 13:9-10 KJV)

My Beloved Husband is my closest neighbor. I will work him no ill.