25 Years

 

 

Twenty-five years ago last month, a strong and tenderhearted young man and I walked down the aisle in the chapel of a very large church near downtown Phoenix.  July in Phoenix is probably less than optimal as a wedding month with its oppressive heat and monsoon downpours, but it was the month that my great-grandparents, my grandparents and my parents were married and I chose it too.  Tears brim as I sit here amazed.  Twenty-five years is almost one for the record books anymore.  My heart overflows with thankfulness for the boy who asked me to marry him and the husband and friend he has been for this adventurous journey.  If you have missed me posting the past three weeks, I took a break to remember where we started and to celebrate where we have come.

 

 

“Desiring God’s will for their lives and believing it includes each other,” we invited our family and friends to witness the covenant made to each other.  Moments etched forever in my memory now surface.  Intense flooding, due to a massive monsoon rains, blocked roads and impeded our ability to quickly finish the last minute tasks the day before our wedding.  I wondered what all my family thought about such abundant rain in the desert.  Rain is supposed to be good luck around weddings.  The shear amount of rain a cloud can release in such a short time was amazing.  My heart was just as full with hope for our future.  I musingly remember the ride from my apartment to the church.  Music blaring as two of my friends laughed and sang with me.  The joy of anticipation could not be contained.  The day held such promise and hope.  It was our day.  There are snapshots I captured in my mind from moments throughout the morning, like that of the dressing room as my friend, cousin and future sister-in-laws all prepared for the ceremony.  Then of the chapel as we took all the pictures we could without sneaking a peak of each other.  His family, my family, his wedding party and my wedding party posed, but no chance of seeing one another until the music so begged.  Guests, local and from afar, arriving in the bright morning sun.  Our ceremony was at 10 a.m.—why waste a day waiting!

 

Just the other day I heard the song, not remembering the last time I listened to the piano version.  Pachebelo’s Cannon in D, serenaded my attendant as they made their way down the aisle in simple black dresses, each with a single ivory rose.  They met up with their counterpart and took their place on stage.  Unique for the time, we chose for them to stand as couples, two on each side.  Our sweet, little flower girl had gotten sick the night before, so we skipped to the next part.   My dad and I waited just out of sight for our queue to move front and center just outside the doors.  Those who gathered to celebrate with us rose.  Slowly we walked…and so it began.

 

Many young girls have dreamed, planned and hoped for their special day.  So much time and effort put into a single event.  Yet, in the realm of things, it is just that…a brief moment in time where a couple, longing to share their futures say, “I do.”  It sets in motion the unknown course for two people, an adventure of sorts.  Where it will take them, what it will hold and how it will go is impossible to project.

 

After twenty-five years of marriage, the faithfulness of God to lead us and the commitment of my husband to love me take my breath away.  So overwhelming!  The journey of marriage is not for the faint at heart.  Trials require perseverance, sorrows—time to heal, the common and mundane take focus and the joys—celebration!  Some days hold a bit of each while other days press on, hard, one after another.  Now, after stringing over 9,000 days together, I am beyond grateful for the friend, partner and lover with whom God granted me to journey.  In the highs, his smiles warm my heart.    In the lows, his tenderness comforts.  He makes me laugh when situations seem to have no humor.  We traversed the parenting years through babies and toddlers, preschooler and grade-schoolers, preteen and full-blown teenagers, college and now young adulthood.  We struggled to survive on little in the early years, watching God meet each and every need.  Whether couponing and bargains or hand-me-downs and yard sales, we made it work.  Slowly, He trusted us with more as our family grew.  Experiencing 11 different homes, 7+ pets, 12 cars, and we juggled it all together.  What an adventure it has been!

 

Now, at 25 years together, we stand here with God and one another declaring again our desire to journey together.  As we could not fathom what the first 25 years would hold, we can’t begin to imagine where the next 25 will carry us.  There will be new places to explore, different challenges to overcome, new family members to add and so much more.  Continuing to trust God to lead us and to help us love each other well, we look towards our 50th anniversary with anticipation!