44 years matters

44 years matters.

It's not just a number or sequence to mark time.

It's moments of life that makes up a marriage.

A marriage that results in this:

plus these three

and this one that is on the way (my sisters, not mine)

It's 44 years of laughter, joy and lots of silliness.

Starting with a smile at a movie theater prior to the 44 years. Teasing for years over the mustard colored shoes she wore on one of their first dates. Listening to their babies first giggles. Sharing the paper on the way home from church on Sunday afternoons. Endless nights surviving shrilly girl sleepovers. Many trips with awesome stories that start with remember when so and so. Good meals shared together with busy conversations all around the same dining room table.

There have been the sweetest moments of wedding vows, romantic dinners, creating 3 children, special celebrations, quiet moments holding hands in the car and dancing at their daughters wedding. 

Not every moment that made up these 44 years were all roses and sunshine. There was heartache, misunderstandings, hurt feelings, lost loved ones, job woes, trials in raising 3 stubborn children, money stresses and different health problems along the way. This is the part of the 44 years that is important.  Sticking together even through hardships.  Making it work.

These 44 years have held soo much. 

Building a home. Traveling miles and miles to watch many wins by their son in various sports, Rank One degree in Education along with 25 years of shaping children's lives, family holiday parties, trips to the beach, a successful family farm, surviving raising two girls 13months apart, serving in many ways to the church body, long road trips out west,  accepting the chance to host an exchange student from Germany, not only surviving the "empty nest" but ROCKING it, building another home, serving God along side each other and spurring each other on, 12,789 miles traveled together, 3940  hours spent watching movies at the drive in, 4 UK NCAA championships, 4 children's weddings, 10 grandchildren.

44 years matters.

I'm so grateful for the work and love you poured into those years. 

I won't forget the stories, the silly fights over burnt casseroles, watching you work together for just about anything, seeing you cling to each other during the toughest times, remembering how you danced together being silly in the kitchen when we were growing up and mostly for being serious about sticking together.

It's made all the difference.

Happy Anniversary.

To many more years that will also matter.