Today, Dan and I are celebrating 41 years of marriage. On that special day, we recited the “repeat after me” statements that many of you probably quoted. We promised “to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish till death do us part.” While I believe we both sincerely meant those words and had every intention to fulfill each promise…we had no way of knowing how we would act and react in the situations that would test each of those pledges. Oh, I think we both knew we would do fine as long as our life was filled with the “better…richer…health” promises…but I’m not sure either one of us could fully grasp how we would react if life dealt us the “worse…poorer…sickness”.
The Lord has richly blessed us over the years in so many ways. There are no words to explain how much joy we have had with the gift of three amazing children…their awesome spouses…and seven beautiful, talented and gifted grandchildren. I never dreamed the day we said our vows that God would give us the incredible opportunity to be parents and grandparents.
We owned a business which provided for our family when the economy was good and even when it was bad. Yes, there were some “lean” times…but God was always faithful and trust me…we never missed any meals 😊
We have family and friends who mean the world to us and who have supported us…loved us…and also challenged us to be all that God wants us to be. We can’t imagine doing life without them and we feel humbled that they have put up with us for many years.
Everything I have listed falls under the vows of “better and richer”…and they have made it relatively easy to continue to love each other in our marriage. But, unfortunately, there was one more part to our vows and in our situation we had no idea that we would have to deal with “sickness” and not “health”.
Many of you already know my story…so I won’t bore you with details…but to say my body hasn’t cooperated with our day-to-day life…is an understatement. It has tested our marriage and our family over and over again…as I have been “down for the count” many times and unable to do the simplest of tasks. When our kids were still living at home…they often had to help keep things running and even today…they can be found helping when needed.
But through it all…Dan has been by my side. I remember him telling me after we married that the word “divorce” would never be in our vocabulary…but I have wondered at times if he regretted making that declaration. It hasn’t been easy for him and I’m sure there were times when heading for the hills was tempting…but instead he has remained steadfast. He has known the vow he took on that beautiful October day was a promise, and he took that as a serious pledge of his love for me and for his Savior.
What is love? That is an age-old question and more than likely there are many different responses. But to me…love is not giving up when life throws you the “worse…poorer…sickness”. Love doesn’t fade just because the grass on the other side of the fence looks greener…it stays and continues to water and “fertilize” the grass it has been given. While giving up may seem easier at the moment…hunkering down and pledging to fulfill your vows will bring blessings way beyond what you can imagine.
To my groom of 41 years…I love you more than words can say. Your tender love and care of me has humbled me so many times. Thank you for staying faithful even when life hasn’t been fun and sickness has overshadowed health. May the Lord bless you for your commitment to me and to our marriage and I’m praying for many more years together as we continue to keep our eyes focused on Him ❤️
“ Love is patient and kind.
Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.
It does not demand its own way.
It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
It does not rejoice about injustice
but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful,
and endures through every circumstance.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
You are truly a servant of our Lord! You are an inspiration to many and we are certainly blessed by your words. You give us hope when we have needed it and for that we are thankful! May you and that faithful, God fearing spouse, have an exceptional anniversary❣
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your kind words and encouragement! God has been so good!
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