Happy 25th Anniversary

Today, my husband and I are celebrating our 25th Wedding Anniversary.

Gosh, I can't believe we've been married this long! The years have flown by so fast and there is still so much I want to experience with Keith.

Trips we long to take together...like a Mediterranean cruise.

Adventures we hope to share...like camping in Yosemite Park

Hobbies we want to do...like taking up golf or scuba diving.

Some of these things we've talked about and planned for years. But, either tight finances, raising our boys, illnesses in our family, or crazy work schedules have kept us from actually experiencing them.

And, time goes on and on and on.

This year's anniversary started out with a big bang at 2:00 am when the phone abruptly rang which scared me half to death. I hate those middle-of-the-night calls. My brain always conjures up the worst case scenarios.

It was a prerecorded state-of-emergency message notifying us that a tornado was in our area and included instructions to immediately take shelter in the center of our home.

I quickly ran upstairs to wake up the boys. Within 2 minutes all four of us were bundled under the covers of our king-sized bed with our Malti-poo, Chivas, curled up in a ball nearby.

At first, we laid there just listening to the sounds of the storm bearing down on us. No one said a word. Then, we took turns praying for God's protect over us, our home, and our community. By the time we finished praying, the winds had died down a bit and the lightening seemed to settle. It was still raining cats and dogs but the howling sounds had stopped and my heart wasn't racing anymore.

The boys eventually returned to their rooms and we all fell back to sleep.

Early this morning, as the sun was coming up over the horizon, we surveyed the damage outside. It was obvious that a horrible storm had ripped through our neighborhood. In our yard along, we had 3 large trees that snapped in half, a basketball goal that had toppled over, and debris everywhere.

After the boys left for school, Keith and I decided to sit for a while and have our morning coffee. I smiled at him and said, "Gee, I sure hope this storm isn't a sign of what the next 25 years of our marriage will look like!" He laughed and said "Yeah, no kidding!"

Yes, over the past 25 years we've definitely experienced "storms" in our marriage. Storms that sometimes felt like seventy mile an hour winds, furious lightening strikes, torrential rains, and tornadoes touching down.

But, in the midst of it all, we've huddled close together and prayed for God's protection every single time. And, every single time God has been faithful to see us through. Sure, there has been mental or emotional "debris" that needed to be cleaned up afterward but with God's help we've surveyed the damage and restored everything to new again.

As I look out the window right now, I'm amazed that there isn't a single cloud in the sky. The birds are singing, the sun is shining, and there's a gentle breeze in the air. It's absolutely gorgeous and I'm getting to enjoy the calm that comes after a storm.

Yes, I hope this moment is a sign of what the next 25 years of our marriage will be like.

Absolutely priceless.

Happy Anniversary Honey...I love you so much!!!