2025 Tuesday — On Your Mark, Get Set

Today, April 29, Tuesday, the curtain, a great big velvet curtain, like one in the most elegant auditorium, slowly began to lift to reveal the beginning of the final month of days leading to our 60th wedding anniversary. This has been a soft sweet slow day, with only a touch of stress. Mostly Mr. Fun & I have acknowledged the peaceful silence within this home, and then the moist, sun-lit air as we stepped into the backyard with the pups and the melodious music of the waves off in the distance. We’ve stirred the kettle of warm memories as much, maybe more, than other 29ths. I told Mr. Fun that 60 years ago I would not have imagined referring to him as grandpa; with tear-filled eyes we laughed and maybe even cried. The sadness of sixty years ago, when a 15 year old and a 19 year old married, has become a six-decade long story with the sadness erased by a Savior, the King of kings.

Our day was mostly filled with conversation, music, and food; we talked all day (talked and talked and talked), we reminisced about the past and speculated about the future.

Our anniversary conversation always includes thoughts about our 10th anniversary in 1975 when Jesus came to our party -- our "water to wine" moment. He told us then everything we had ever done. We were guilty and we did not deny it.

In 1975 Jesus wrapped His arms around us, held us close, and asked if we wanted to exchange our old lives; He asked if we wanted to be born again; did we want to be forgiven, we both said "yes" and our sin was forgiven. His hug was the best we've ever had. We both were baptized; it was a symbol of our sin being washed away, of our old lives dying and new lives beginning. We didn't look any different, that did not matter. We were two brand new people.

Then Jesus said, "Watch this." And He started writing our story; a new page every day. A unique story that neither one of us could have ever written. We were already parents; then He added the calling of Pastor and Professor to our lives.

Miracle after miracle God has done in our lives. He's given us friends that we would have never known; people that we will know for eternity (that's Forever, by the way). He's taken us to Canada, Russia, and South Korea to tell others about Him. He told us not to make Him a secret.

He told us to read His Story, which is a wonderful instruction manual, and to follow Him. He taught us to recognize sin and told us to call "sin" sin, to hate sin, and to stay far from it and to love the sinner (that’s what we were). He told us He would give us the things we need - love, peace, self-control, patience, joy, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness -- by taking us through the experiences that would produce them. Sometimes we've had to learn over and over and we still are learning. He told us not to worry and He's given us things that could cause worry so we'd learn to trust Him.

We have 49 years and 11 months of evidence that He can be trusted with our lives AND we are still learning not to worry. God has given us many enjoyable possessions, but most of all our treasures are in our family members . . . our parents came to know Jesus before they exited earth and are ALL now in Heaven. Our two adult children, Shawn and Deidre (Dede), both love Jesus. They are neither one doctors or lawyers or Indian chiefs, but they are Christ-followers and we will enjoy eternity with them. They bring us joy. We have three adult grandchildren and five great-grandchildren and we ask God daily to give each of them a "Damascus Road experience" (go ahead, look that up).

We want our friends to know Jesus. Have you asked Jesus to be part of your life? We hope you have.

Now we are going to live the final month of days leading to our 60th wedding anniversary; if we make it another month we'll thank God and celebrate again. We wish all our friends could just magically appear on May 29th to all enjoy a delicious meal and flavorful fellowship, but in lieu of that we'll set our sights on Heaven and the reunion that's coming. We will both also celebrate our 50th birthdays as Christians-- his on May 18th; mine on June 1st.

A little explanation about wedding dresses: My mom was so hurt, so ashamed, so mad back in the springtime of 1965 when I was 15 and I "had" to get married; so she didn't allow me to wear white. That fact is funny now; it wasn't then. I missed all the wondrous stuff about being a bride. I've always called my feelings about this a "wedding deficit." I really like weddings. I've been a bride at least 5 times (always to the same man, thankfully).

Well, here we go . . . tomorrow morning, Wednesday, the countdown to May 29th continues. We’ve enjoyed the past eleven months of countdown more than we can describe.

Rosie (& Mr. Fun), aka Carol
and Chloe & Mitzi too!