WOW!!! or YIKES!!!
Have we really been married that long???? When I was young, I don’t remember thinking I would be married these many years… and yet, here I am at 66, married for 40 years… it’s been quite a journey. Lots of ups and downs. Sometimes, we wondered if we would make it to the next year or even the next month or week or day 😊. Even though we’re both Filipinos, the fact that I was basically brought up as an American made us an inter-cultural couple and many adjustments needed to be made on a regular basis. Without the Lord holding our hands and being the 3rd and most important leg in this relationship, I doubt that we would still be together. Seriously… We’ve dealt with the usual relationship issues—different perspectives on money, differing views on raising the kids and the number of kids we would have (he wanted 6!!!), the fact that I’m the first born and used to being in control versus the fact that he’s a typical male whose ego is easily bruised and i sometimes don’t have much patience for that... But, through the years, we’ve learned to meet each other halfway on most things and that has helped us stay together despite the difficulties and challenges—some of them doozies!--that we’ve had to endure.
His parents were married for 49 years before the Lord took his Dad home on January 30, 1999. My parents were married for 55 years before the Lord took my Mom home on January 2, 2010. We know that there is no guarantee that we will reach 49 or 55 years together. The Lord could choose to take one or both of us to heaven anytime… At this point in our marriage, making it one year at a time is already a major achievement since with each year that passes, the spark that brought us together sometimes seems to be dimming a little bit and it’s easy to take each other for granted…
But today is for celebrating making it this far – our RUBY anniversary – and for thanking God for the boundless mercy and love that He extends to us so that we can extend the same to each other. It’s also a day to show our kids and grandkids that it IS still possible to stay married for all these years. It’s not easy but it is doable. Today is especially important to look back and see what brought us together and just how far we’ve come, by the grace of God…
So, here’s to us and to moving forward to our 50th, if
the Lord wills 😊
