Today's an important date in my family's journey log of life.
Today's date of November 19th marks the anniversary of my bride and I exchanging our vows as husband and wife.
The year on the faded marriage certificate says "1977" but surely it must be wrong. (Wasn't it just a few years ago?)
The aging image that meets my mirrored reflection each morning contrasts sharply with the youthful and beautifully etched real-time image of my bride. (Her portrait must surely be hanging backwards in some attic, allowing youth to never pass her by...)
And we live on.
Marriage is commitment. Commitment, I have learned through pain, is a tie that binds - no matter what. Good times or bad in my family, that tie has bound us together.
I loved Susan when I was a young man. Passionately loved her. I loved her when, in pain, she bore my 3 children. Exceedingly loved her. I was wowed by her, standing next to me, in ALL of our political and cultural war zone skirmishes. I proudly loved her...and she, me.
And in ministry, I have watched the truth of Proverbs 31 cascade from her fine hands and features.
But I never FULLY knew how much I loved "the wife of my youth", until this year. Truly loved her.
When we buried our first born son, Nate, at his tender age of 27, both Susan and I buried a part of each other's son in the casket. Only we two knew his whole life...beginning to end.
Together.
I learned to hold Susan during the worst of all tears in the midst of a parent's worst of all fears. Convulsive sobbing gave us the cadence of our lives' current new-normal march. We grudgingly marched lock-step; and together, we heaved in painful physical body-cries to almost no-one there, it seemed. But Someone was there... and we listened for His still, very quiet voice...
Together.
Honestly, I fell more deeply in love with my bride at that, the deepest valley of our lives, without ever knowing it was possible. We lost our son and gained more clearly an understanding of true and faithful love...God's love. John 3:16 love, if you have ears to hear.
We are thankful that we have our daughter and our son-in-law, we have our youngest son, we have our grandson. And we have our oldest son in Heaven.
We are grateful that we have our friends by the thousands who have supported us, grieved with us and today...we hope, celebrate with us.
How blessed are we to have such people in our lives.
Thank you for traveling this journey with us via this blog.
Den
Words cannot express how deeply this moved me as I read it. I will leave it at that. I love you and wish you the Happiest of Anniversaries!!! You are both so deeply loved by so many people. Your life is a wonderful testimony to the love you have for each other and for Jesus. So wonderful...so wonderful...
Posted by: Janet | November 19, 2009 at 07:44 PM
happy anniversary & many more from JIm
Posted by: JIm Dalos Jr | November 22, 2009 at 04:06 PM