July 14th, 1973.
I’m not sure I can find a just right photo that sums up the time machine vibes of that day so very long ago, but I also didn’t want to let the day pass without writing a little something.
I say ‘time machine’ because my wedding dress was made of cotton eyelet and my bridesmaids wore yellow checked gingham.
My cake topper had daisies on it.
It was definitely the 70’s.
Also in the 70’s something else eventful occurred–I made a decision to surrender to Jesus as Lord of my life. It’s been one surrender after another over time. Maybe you can relate?
In the vein of surrender, what life circumstance other than staying married offers such an opportunity to give up to God our layers of protection and let Him make us into more of ourselves as we love others?
Yes, a life time of daily yesses (whilst dragging our feet kicking and screaming–but maybe that’s just me) add up to months and years and poof! you’re on year forty nine.
As a crosspost for you, gentle readers, here’s a little snippet from Instagram, reposted just for you, to commemorate this to-God-be-the-glory day.
Forty nine years ago today on Bastille Day, two clueless Jesus people said in front of God and everybody else that they would stay married until death do them part.
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I don’t know how that seems possible, that next year we’ll be celebrating fifty years of marriage, but the bedrock of that decision is based on God’s grace and glue alone. I suppose you could say we’ve been, as Eugene Peterson coined, taking a “long walk of obedience in the same direction.” (I added the “walk of”).
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The miraculous result of surrendering to God over and over again to learn how to love better is the easy joy that comes with building something together, whether it’s repairing a fence or blessing our children and grandchildren, leaving a legacy that encourages them to do the same, take a long walk of obedience in the same direction.
It is worth the struggle.
(Not The End)
So Many Congratulations!!!
We celebrate our 49th in a couple weeks. Hard to believe.
We had daisies on our cake, too! I wore a muslin Gunnysax dress and my Bill wore a linen/silk shirt I wove, sewed, and embroidered.
Flowerkidz, sayin’ I do. And, ever after, I will. : > )
Miraculous, isn’t it, how those little surrenders add up, over time. Covenants-become-trophies of God’s mercy and grace.
Oh my goodness, Laurie, daisies and Gunnysax dresses. Yes, those were the days. And embroidered flowers on everything.
God’s grace is an amazing glue, amen? “Covenants-become-trophies” indeed.
Yes, indeed, it is by God’s grace and glue that our marriage has also survived (soon to be 52 years). Learning to love better day by day is certainly a key factor. You’ve captured well, Jody, the essence of making marriage work for a lifetime!