Memories

The 31^st anniversary of our wedding day has come and gone.  I still remember so well the cool, rainy Friday evening Eric and I said our vows.  It was a ‘family affair’ with no frills – most of the folks in our church didn’t even know we had gotten married until we showed up Sunday morning and told them!

Yesterday was a gorgeous, wonderful November day with no resemblance to our rainy day of years ago.  The weather reminded me of our 25^th wedding anniversary when we woke up and said to each other, “Where should we go?”  We decided quickly, packed the car and drove to Washington, DC.  The entire week was as beautiful as yesterday, perfect for site seeing with blue skies and warm days; we couldn’t have had a nicer time anywhere.

I thought about that trip yesterday afternoon as well as some of the other anniversaries we had shared together and the trips we talked about taking in the future.  Eric and I were never sticklers that celebrations had to happen on the exact day of the event.  We’d make that day special in some way, but if we had to wait to have more focused time together, we’d just wait.

Some years we didn’t have the finances to do much.  Other years we did the typical ‘dinner out’ date.   When our children were little we’d take the day off, put them in the car and spend the day Christmas shopping.  They were too little to know who was getting those things we were putting in the cart anyway!  As they grew older we’d leave them with a trusted sitter and spend the day shopping alone then enjoy dinner without considering what was on the kids menu!  No matter what we did, we always had fun. Alone or with kids, nice meal or happy meal, out on the town or snuggled in at home, we were content.  We were in love.

I really wasn’t sure how I would feel yesterday.  Emotions are funny things and, at least for me, I’m never sure when a crying moment will jump up and snatch me.  I do remember waking up and thanking God I wasn’t crying first thing!  I have to tell you, that’s a change from the last two years and it’s forward progress I’m sure.

However, the tears did come.  How could they not?  My heart longed to tell that man what a treasure he was to me and how much I love him.  As I relived those past anniversaries, I wanted to hear his memories, too – you know males and females always remember things differently!  And oh my, what I wouldn’t have given for an anniversary kiss.  Yes, the tears came, but they came along with smiles and thankfulness for what I had.

A friend sent me a note yesterday reminding me of three things:  ~God is with me.  ~His presence is overshadowing me.  ~He is holding me in the palm of His hand.  I take comfort in the knowledge of those truths.  But they are not just for the widow, or the lonely, or the sad.  Those truths are for all of us.  God is very present in our daily lives.

I found a particular quote from our current bible study very appropriate for me right now:  “Do my difficulties minimize God or does God minimize my difficulties?”  Which way do I allow it to be?  Which is bigger, my God or my pain?  Much of what I will do depends on my answer to that question.  The same is true for you.  In whatever situation we encounter, we need to live like God is bigger than the problem.  We need to remember He is faithful and loves us with an everlasting love.  When we focus on the truth that the God of the universe loves us and knows us, our thoughts tend to be less inward and quite a bit more God-ward.

Every November 9^th will be special to me. Some years may be harder than others but I will always remember the special love that was a total gift from God and I will be grateful.

Through high and low, sorrow and joy, fear and faith, doubt and trust, God is with me.  He is holding me close.  That I can definitely celebrate.

… I will not forget you.

Behold, I have carved you in the palms of my hands;

your walls are continually before me.

Isaiah 49:15 & 16