Nancy and I were married twenty-nine years ago today. At fifty years old we have spent more time together than apart.
Nancy spent some time reflecting on our years together. I share her thoughts with you here.
Learning to Appreciate
I have always gotten excited about our anniversaries. Dan enjoys our marriage. He never seemed to put as much stock in one day a year, but he did always remember. I, however, would look forward to the day to the point where it didn’t always live up to my expectation.
Anniversaries Past
On our fifth anniversary, Dan was taking me to Kowloon Restaurant in Saugus, MA. Before we left, I made a cookie sheet full of French fries as a pre-dinner snack. Kowloon’s has amazing Chinese food that you can never finish. If you are wondering, I was two days from giving birth to Joseph. I still remember looking at the booth, then looking at my stomach and not being sure I was going to fit. Dinner was good, even though I was exhausted afterward and we went home.
Another year Dan and I went to South Carolina and walked alongside a river. When we saw “Beware of crocodiles” signs, Dan pointed out that he didn’t need to outrun the crocodile, he just had to outrun me. If you have never seen our marriage in person, this is our norm. All good!
Here is to #29
This year we will celebrate our 29th anniversary. As I was looking forward to the day, which happens to be a Sunday, I realized how now instead of looking forward to the celebration, I appreciate the moment. Each milestone we meet (birthday, anniversary, Father’s Day, etc.) is a gift from God.
Every anniversary since 1990 has been a gift, yet I didn’t always see it that way. It has taken the threat of losing the opportunity to celebrate for me to truly see the joy in each moment. I am grateful to have seen the importance before it was too late. I wish, though, it did not take terminal illness for me to learn the value of appreciating each moment we have.
We may go out to eat tomorrow. Rayann may go with us. We might come home and have hot dogs and watch a movie on TV. I’m not sure what our celebration will be. Waking up together on June 2, 2019 will be a gift in itself. Everything after that will be extra.
May we each learn to appreciate what we are given as we are given it. And may we be grateful to God.
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We did go out for lunch following church today…and yes, Rayann was there with us…everything was as it should be.
