Good morning…
Today is my parents’ 62nd wedding anniversary. After dinner at the dining hall last night, I snapped this picture of them as couple #28, front and center, in the wedding photo contest currently being held at their senior living community. When the photo was taken, my mom was twenty-two and my dad was twenty-three, college sweethearts who had just celebrated my mom’s graduation from Wittenberg University earlier in the same week. Yesterday my mom commented about their special picture displayed in the foyer of the main building, “I love having the word ‘Holy’ visible on the altar beside us.”
Here is one thing you need to know about my mom. For every occasion, she loves buying, collecting and sending greeting cards, some holy cards and some not-so-holy. Last night in my parents villa when my dad had fallen asleep in his recliner while we were watching Wheel of Fortune together, my mom asked me to wheel her over in her wheelchair to a dresser drawer in their dining room. For a long, relaxing time, she sifted through two drawers packed with cards, looking for the one she would give my dad for their anniversary today. Here is this year’s winner!
At dusk, we wheeled my mom over to her room in the skilled nursing care center. Together, caught up in the excitement of the moment, we cheered a bit too loud for the head nurse’s liking, as the Cleveland Guardians pulled out a thrilling 3-2 win in the bottom of the ninth inning. I kissed mom goodnight on the forehead before dad kissed her sweetly on the lips. Then we left mom with her chosen card and a pen from my dad’s pocket, trusting the Spirit to inspire a few words capturing their lifetime love in her beautiful handwriting.
Relish life with the spouse you love each and every day of your precarious life. Each day is God’s gift. It’s all you get in exchange for the hard work of staying alive. Make the most of each one! Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily! (Ecclesiastes 9:9, MSG).
…Sue…
P.S. This morning I was drawn to relish a photo on my parents’ refrigerator, the most recent picture taken with our whole extended family. My parents. My uncle from California. Me, my brother, my sister, and our spouses. My parents’ ten grandkids and one lovely daughter-in-law. This photo, taken last November as we all gathered for the first time since the pandemic began, honors the lifetime love of my parents as it expands on into eternity. What a holy gift from God!
