Thirty-five years ago today
on August 12, 1978
at 5:00 pm
in Amherst, New York
Dw and I joined our lives and hearts
before about 120 friends and family.
We committed to do life together.
Forever.
No matter what.
Dw was in law school at the time
and I was working as a secretary
“to put hubby through”.
Dw practiced law for almost 11 years
before God whispered it was time to close his very successful
law practice and move our family across the country
so he could attend seminary
and eventually senior pastor for the next 20 years.
Over the years we added
treasure upon treasure
to our pile.
Lest you think that we are “the exception”…
here’s the skinny…
Dw and I are best friends,
soul mates and we have a blast together,
but there is not a marriage out there that is perfect –
including ours.
We have worked to communicate well.
We pray together.
We both seek the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind.
We apologize often.
We work to understand each other and what makes the other tick
{or in some cases ‘ticked off’).
*smile*
Looking back on 35 years –
There have been mountain top seasons
but there have also been plenty of valleys.
Amidst great joy and celebration,
have been seasons sprinkled
with significant loss and private heartache.
We have chosen to share some.
We have chosen to keep some private
because of the personal nature of some things.
And somewhere in there we realized
that life was just too
short to take everything so seriously.
{I’m so thankful we did.}
We had to laugh,
no matter what.
And yes, we have laughed together
{laying in bed, late at night, instead of agonizing}
about things that we’ll never share.
Ever.
We found that there are seasons of marriage
where we have just needed to laugh.
No matter what.
We have sought to lay our lives down for the other.
We have sought to honor God with every part of our being.
We have sought to love unconditionally
and we have sought to serve the other
to the best of our ability.
It has not always been easy.
But it has always been rewarding.
Sticking together.
Choosing apologizing.
Choosing forgiveness.
Choosing communication.
Choosing working through the tough times.
Choosing laughter.
Choosing joy.
Choosing humility.
Today Dw is at a staff retreat for our church.
So we went to church Saturday night
and yesterday left early to spend the day
celebrating 35 years of marriage together.
{Thank you Graham, Savannah and Liberty
for watching the little ones.}
We laughed as we headed out…
Most of our peers are completely empty nesters
and have been for a long, long while.
However,
far from empty,
our nest is blessed with a pile of treasures
that we couldn’t live without.
So while our peers might be
spending their 35th cruisin’ the French Rivera,
we rented a convertible to cruise
to Prescott, Arizona and spend the day together.
with a mocha for him,
an iced Americano for me…
a pumpkin muffin to split from Paradise Bakery
Where we checked out the architecture of old homes
draped with flags that waved in the gentle breeze,
Enjoying the smell of pine trees,
{my all-time favorite smell}
bright blue skies,
the nearby lakes
the panoramic mountain views,
and the desert flowers.
Heading back home to shower and
change into something a bit more dinner’ish’…
and setting out again for a beautiful dinner
besides some gorgeous fountains
at a favorite nearby restaurant…
When we shared it was our 35th wedding anniversary
person after person from the staff
came by to wish us a wonderful anniversary.
So very grateful that 35 years ago today
we pledged undying devotion to one another.
No matter what.
I couldn’t imagine my life without you, Whitey.
I couldn’t imagine my life without our pile of treasures
and I couldn’t imagine my life without 35 years of precious memories.
Whitey –
I love you to the moon and back –
times infinity.
Gorgeous couple, then and now. Love you guys and I have never met you 🙂 Congrats on such a long and prosperous marriage!!
What a precious post! Happy Anniversary! Such a sweet blessed couple. thank you for always sharing and keeping it so real. May Gods blessings be upon you now and always. God be with you.
You have me in tears, Linny….
Oh that the Lord would give my husband a heart
that was sold out to HIM and to loving the wife
God has given him….
Many years of Blessings to come for the both of you….I don't know many husbands that are as sold out to the Lord as I see dw is..You are truly blessed.
God Bless your whole family
Love from NC
What a beautiful couple, then and now! Many congrats! A strong marriage is one of G-d's greatest gifts and I thank G-d for it every day! I only wish we had started sooner – you have 20 years on us. 🙂
This brought tears to my eyes. Congratulations, what a beautiful testimony to what God can do when a married couple strive for nothing more than to do His will and not follow their own. God bless and may you have many many more wonderful years together.
Happy Anniversary!!! Looks like you had the perfect celebration!
Blessings,
Suzanne
Awww! You two are so stinking cute!
My husband and I tried to elope and marry quietly (so I could be under his health insurance) before our already set church wedding in December….well, little did we know City Hall publishes, ahead of time, the upcoming nuptials and the inlaws were all up in arms over it…So, we not so secretly eloped 7 yrs ago on Aug. 11. We actually celebrate our church wedding anniversary in December of the same year.
What a beautiful love story! Congratulations! Cheers to 35 more!
Have you ever shared how you and Dw met?
KK
Congrats! we celebrated our 12th anniversary yesterday. we kept it simple (but wonderful) too. we are still working to get to our 35th. 🙂
well…. not only do you make and welcome beautiful babies into your home, you two age incredibly well. um….hello….can you say gorgeous! 😉 many blessings on your marriage and may you both live and walk side by side living to the promised age of 120. Thank you for sharing so many stories with us, your complete stranger, bloggy friends.
blessings
Just beautifully written, Linny, and such a beautiful and fruitful marriage! Well done and congratulations!!!!
Happy Anniversary you two young things! We are right behind you closing in on 33 years, and Linny, my wedding dress looked a lot like yours! We were married in 1980, and we celebrate our 30 something anniversaries smiling about the treasures we have instead of an empty nest, too! Love you guys.
Happy Aniversary!
Awwww…. Congrats to you both! I love this! Marriage is hard work indeed, but so worth it.
May God continue to bless your marriage and continue to add year upon year to it!
Congratulations on your 35th wedding anniversary. Beautiful post and what a fun way to celebrate. Renting a car you'd probably not have and enjoying time together. May God bless you with many more wonderful years together and loving on your beautiful treasures! Keep your eyes on God and each other. Love ya!
Congratulations! Thank you for sharing this with us. I have only been married 4 years and it warms my heart to read a tidbit of your journey together! We too are committed to grow and laugh together throughout life. You have set an amazing example! The love for DW just oozes through everything you say about him. Your love is infectious I think :)Thanks for infecting me again 😀
Congratulations on this weddinganniversary!!!
You are a beautifull example to me, we will be married for 17 years soon …
Wishing you many more blessed years together!
love Adriana
PS loved the beautifull pictures of all the movielike houses 😉
Congratulations to a wonderful example of marriage. Such a beautiful post!
You looked so beautiful and Dw was so handsome on your wedding day in the photo and you both are still beautiful with silver hairs! Happy 35th wedding anniversary! May God bless you both. I love these beautiful old houses 🙂
Happy Anniversary! May you be blessed with many more together!
What a sweet time! Happy Anniversary!
Happy Anniversary! Such a gift to see a marriage full of blessing, respect, honor, forgiveness and devotion. Too few in the world! We just celebrated our 23 and I feel the same way about my husband. He still rocks my world! :).
Sue
Marie and I celebrated our 30th last week – I so get what you said – and still sometimes marvel at where we are vs. where we thought we'd be….proof that we never are (or were!) in control!
hugs – have 35 more –
aus and co.
Happy 35th anniversary! 🙂 Thank you for sharing your story!
I'm 25 years old and have lost count of the number of friends whose parents are divorced. Thank you for working hard to make your marriage successful, peaceful, and joyful!
-Holly
First of all….Happy Anniversary! I loved this post Linny! Thank you for sharing this. My grandmother has always told me that marriage is something you have to work at and that is important for people to hear I think because it is so true. It is not something you just sit back and let it happen. Thank you for letting us see how your "work" has paid off. You have a beautiful life!
Happy Anniversary! Love that you rented a convertible. It becomes difficult to be able to do those special things together and sometimes people think it has to be some big get away…and it doesn't! I too am fascinated by beautiful houses and must say the USA has far more than Canada. Your date sounds so much like what Martin and I love to do.
You certainly don't look old enough to be married for 35 years!…and I'm not trying to flatter you. 😉 I think the choices you have made keeps you young in spirit and it shines through physically.
Congrats on celebrating 35 wonderful year together! What a blessing you are to each other and to others!
Happy happy anniversary. May you be blessed with at least 35 more wonderful years together.
I love this!! Happy Anniversary!!!
Happy (now belated) Anniversary you two.. that first picture is one of the most beautiful pictures ever!! Hubby and I are load the car up with treats and go drive and explore – especially old houses and buildings – people… so i LOVE your date time! 🙂
Happy anniversary! Have you posted your 'story' of how you met and fell in love? I am sure God had a HUGE part in it ;D