Till There Was You -- Happy Anniversary, My Love!

Bear with me again, please as I reflect on this day, July 8th. I will always post about this special, picture-perfect day when my sweet man and I became husband and wife. We held strong for this day -- for over five years -- and then, the wait was over. What took us so long? I needed to graduate high school before we got married. LOL! My Mom had to consent and sign for me as I was still a minor, at age 17. Some said, "It will never last!" I'm pleased to say we proved them wrong.

It was a wedding-on-a-budget. My precious mother somehow managed to have just enough for us to have everything we needed. My uncle walked me down the aisle (my dad was in heaven) and my brother sang our song, "Till There Was You". I wore my sister's wedding dress. My bridesmaids paid for their own dresses. The ceremony was officiated by my father-in-law in the church he pastored. The two items that cost the most for our wedding were the flowers and the cake. Our honeymoon wasn't at an exclusive 5-Star location -- it was Lake Texoma Lodge.

And, as I type this post, I assure you.....it didn't take big expense, extravagance, explosive fanfare, or perfection to create these precious memories that I still have today. I'm remembering what mattered most on this day. Two kids who knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that they were meant to be -- that they were tying a knot that would last through eternity -- that they were in true love that would stand the test of time.

What is it that causes "until death do us part" to be the deciding factor that creates an unquenchable, inseparable, unwavering and unrelenting love that knows no end? I'm not saying that there were never hiccups along the way or many times having reasons to walk away from the pressure and strain of "making it work". But our vows said, "For better or worse" (and, believe you me....we had some "worst of times") and "For richer or poorer" (Lord have mercy -- we had some mighty poor seasons) and "In sickness and health" (we both knew "sickness") and "Until death do us part". Those were our promises to each other and our vows before God.....and they stuck in the good times and the bad times. I am saying.....tough times don't last...but tough people who have God as NUMERO UNO in the mix of literally everything that concerns them.....is what sustains, equips, and remains forever true.

My Sweetheart isn't here with me today, but those "Till There Was You" song words hold true. The bells are still ringing, the birds are still winging, and the music is still singing in this heart of mine. What was it that mattered most then? What is it that matters most today? The ONE common denominator -- God, Who blessed us with 44 years together on earth, and these 52 years, is still the ONE who blesses me today. He is the ONE who continues to "ring my bells", causes me to see birds winging and each day causes my heart to sing". Spending FOREVER with Him AND my Sweetheart will be awesome.....and FOREVER is a long, long time.

Centered AND Bordered

We were huge fans of putting together jigsaw puzzles. It started when the kids were little with those easy-to-do wooden puzzles. Putting a jigsaw puzzle together at Christmas was one of our family traditions. The box top would be in a prominent place where ALL EYES could see it, and, strategically, we'd get the border done first. Often, the search to find a certain piece would get tedious, so we’d have to walk away from it, refresh, and come back with a whole new perspective. When we did that, we'd find that piece that ALL eyes couldn’t see before. It can be quite "puzzling" to complete a puzzle.

In many posts, I've shared about making God the CENTER of our lives, then whatever happens – the ups and downs, the frustrations or the celebrations, the highs and lows, with Him as Center, we will always make it through life's variables.

When God is not only our CENTER, but like in puzzles, He is also our BORDER, then we’ll living as His fully devoted followers, making daily decisions from His vantage point. When He is our border, He holds our lives together and we won’t cross the boundaries that would cause a break in our relationship with Him. I never considered being unfaithful to my husband because I loved him too much and never wanted to damage the sweetness of our relationship. I just wouldn’t, not just because I loved him so much, but also because we had borders (vows & promises) before God that we made to each other on our wedding day. They were clear borders: “I take you as my lawfully wedding husband to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.” The same is true for my relationship with God. Matthew 22:37 says “Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' That much love is a clear border for when we're weak and are tempted to do anything that displeases Him. That border should be so clear that if we carelessly cross it, we'll be quick to ask for forgiveness because we want to right the wrong we made.

When He is our border, and the more intent we are to please Him, the more the picture of who He wants us to become and the purpose and destiny He has for us because evident, just like the total picture emerges when we work puzzles.

At the beginning of this season of Lent, we have the opportunity to welcome this time of pondering, meditating, and seeking God for a clean slate and being transformed to who God desires us to be. When we received ashes on our foreheads yesterday in the form of the cross, we were saying “I welcome transformation. I welcome You, Lord, to cleanse and purify me as I approach Good Friday when your Son paid the ultimate price for the sins I’ve committed. I welcome Resurrection Sunday when I rose with Him into the abundant life He promised to give me as I walk faithfully with Him.

Yes, as with the jigsaw puzzle, life can present "puzzling" challenges and "puzzling" situations, but when we submit to His desires for us to be renewed and transformed, our Master Creator steps in and gives us His wisdom for handling the challenges and He'll be sure to help us finish OUR "life" puzzle with all pieces intact -- and it will be JUST as He planned it to be!

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2

Till There Was You

Day 185 of Photo Inspirations -- Till There Was You
Bear with me.  On this day, July 8th, I will always post about this special, picture-perfect day when my sweet man and I became husband and wife.  We held strong for this day -- for over five years -- and then, the wait was over.  What took us so long?  I needed to graduate high school before we got married. LOL!  My Mom had to consent and sign for me as I was still a minor, at age 17. Some said "It will never last!" I'm pleased to say we proved them wrong.

It was a wedding-on-a-budget.  My precious mother somehow managed to have just enough for us to have everything we needed.  My uncle walked me down the aisle (my dad was in heaven) and my brother sang our song, "Till There Was You".  I wore my sister's wedding dress. My bridesmaids paid for their own dresses.  The ceremony was officiated by my father-in-law, and in the church he pastored.  The two items that cost the most for our wedding were the flowers and the cake.  Our honeymoon wasn't at an exclusive 5-Star location -- it was Lake Texoma Lodge.  And, as I type this post, I assure you.....it didn't take big expense, extravagance, explosive fanfare, or perfection to create these precious memories that I have today.  I'm remembering what mattered most on this day.  Two kids who knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that they were meant to be -- that they were tying a knot that would last through eternity -- that they were in true love that would stand the test of time.

What is it that causes "until death do us part" to be the deciding factor that creates an unquenchable, unseparable, unwavering and unrelenting love that knows no end?  I'm not saying that there were never hiccups along the way or many times having reasons to walk away from the pressure and strain of "making it work".  But our vows said, "For better or worse" (and, believe you me....we had some "worst of times" and "For richer or poorer" (Lord have mercy -- we had some mighty poor seasons) and "In sickness and health" (we both knew "sickness") and "Until death do us part".  Those were our promises to each other and our vows before God.....and they stuck in the good times and the bad times.  I am saying.....tough times don't last...but tough people who have God as NUMERO UNO in the mix of literally everything that concerns them.....is what sustains, equips, and remains forever true.

My Sweetheart isn't here with me today, but the bells ringing, the birds winging, and the music singing that my brother sang about 49 years ago today......are still ringing, winging and singing in this heart of mine.  What was it that mattered most then?  What is it that matters most today?  The ONE common denominator -- God, Who blessed us with 44 years together on earth, and these 49 years, is still the ONE who blesses me today.  He is the ONE who continues to "ring my bells", causes me to see birds winging and each day causes my heart to sing".  Spending FOREVER with Him AND my Sweetheart will be awesome.....and FOREVER is a long, long time.