40 Years of Love, Commitment and Faith

Forty years ago, with God as their witness, my parents made a promise to love each other for better or for worse, in rich and in poor, and in sickness and in health.  On their wedding day, they had no idea that "worse" might mean struggling during some very lean years, or supporting an overly-dependent only child who dropped out of college because it didn’t feel like home, or many, many long seasons of Razorback Football.  They also didn't know that "better" might mean growing old together on the back porch swing, welcoming healthy grand babies into their lives, and sharing with them the traditions and memories of a lifetime of love.  Though I'm sure there were times they felt "poor", at least in spirit, they had no idea how "rich" they would become with hope and love.  They could never predict the "sickness" and loss that might befall their relationship.  I've watched my mother, with unparalleled strength, care for parents, siblings, and her husband both physically and emotionally without an ounce of concern for her own health.  I've watched my father take care of his bride - not only financially but emotionally too.  I've watched him carry her, as if over the threshold, through the trials of their lives together- lifting her spirit and remaining her constant sounding board and quiet strength.  My Daddy waited 38 years of their marriage to get much needed hearing aids.  If there is a secret to a happy marriage, that has to be it!  Ha Ha!

Throughout the years, I've witnessed my parents' affection for one another.  I've seen them fight and then later reconcile and forgive.  I've watched them laugh and kiss and tease one another.  I've heard them pray together.  I've witnessed them make their marriage a priority.  Because of Momma and Daddy's commitment to one another and to marriage, they bestowed on me a lasting blueprint for my own relationships.  A living example of dedication, perseverance, and faith.  As I saw the marriages of my friends' parents fail throughout my growing up, I saw the strength of their love for each other.  I have never doubted their love.  The constant bedrock of my life has been Momma reading at the kitchen table and Daddy watching the game with his eyes closed.  That stability never fails to make me smile nor give me comfort when I think of it.

The number 40 is mentioned in the Bible 146 times and generally symbolizes a period of trial or tribulation.  Though I am certain Momma and Daddy have faced their own trials throughout the years, with the Lord's help they have overcome.  Forty years of doing anything is a long time, and forty years of happy married life is really quite remarkable.  May God continue to shower you both with love and blessings for many more years to come.  Congratulations and Happy 40th Anniversary!  I love you both beyond measure!

Right Place, Right Time

This morning, as I emerged from the house for the first time in four days, I set out to drop the kids off at school.  Three "snow days" in a row, with no snow to play in, almost pushed this mama over the edge.  I feel like I've been caged with two hungry honey badgers.  So, as I raised the cage door and they scurried into school, I should have felt unbridled joy.  I should have embraced my solitary freedom.  Instead, I was already dreading what was to come.  The inevitable, certain to be lengthy and very expensive, trip to Walmart.  As if it weren't bad enough that the town was just beginning to surface after "snowmageddon", it was payday and only two days before the Superbowl.  Alas, the cupboards were bare and it was a necessary journey.

Pulling into the already crowded parking lot I was surprised to find a spot near the entrance.  Just as I was getting closer, another car pulls in from the opposite direction and steals my spot.  Fury.  Instant fury.  My grip tightened on the steering wheel and I moved on to the next isle and took the first available spot next to a minivan haphazardly parked over the line.  I grumbled to myself as I squeezed out of the car and walked down the narrow walkway into the store.

I immediately stopped at the McDonald's inside the entrance for a large sweet tea to fuel me and help me cope with the horror ahead.  Those closest to me know that I don't drink coffee, and sweet tea is sometimes the difference between getting through the day and waging an all-out war on the rest of the world.  I waited in line with my $1.07 in exact change already counted out and in hand.  I waited as the lady in front of me, a Walmart employee, changed her mind 3 times.  Then upon completing her order, decided she needed one more breakfast burrito.  She completed and paid for her second order and moved aside.  I handed the cashier my change and was given a large styrofoam cup to fill with the nectar of the Gods.

I moved through the crowded store at a snail's pace, dodging inconsiderate shoppers, and searching for items on the under-stocked shelves.  I found myself meeting "the coupon lady" on almost every isle.  Equipped with her binder, fist full of coupons, and a calculator, she deterred my every move.  I was beginning to lose it.  I tend to be a control freak and patience has never been my strong suit.  However, I managed to remain calm, at least outwardly, and begun the daunting task of checking out.

I passed line after line of stacked up shoppers being herded through the cashier lanes like cattle to the slaughter.  Then I saw it.  Lane 5 was empty.  How can this be?  Hallelujah!  I will make it!  My cart overflowing, I mounded the items onto the conveyer belt as the cashier began to scan.  He was a middle-aged man, seemingly uninterested in his job and even less interested in my presence or schedule.  It's as if time actually stopped.  He moved with the speed of a herd of sloths stampeding through a field of peanut butter.  Beep...beep...beep.  Oh dear Lord, I picked up an item without a bar code!  "No!  No price check, please!  I don't need it!"  The appalling total was announced, I paid, and left without incident.

I neared my SUV and noticed an older couple getting into the minivan beside me.  I had just began unloading my bags when I heard a women scream, "Help!  Help!  Help, please!"  I turned and noticed it was the woman in the minivan beside me.  The woman, now standing at the passenger door, was yelling and pounding on a man's chest.  I looked around and there was no one.  How is that possible?  Hundreds of people strolling leisurely around the store but at this moment, not a soul to be seen.  I ran back to my car and retrieved my cell phone to dial 9-1-1.  The woman's husband had lost consciousness and had stopped breathing.  We were able to get him out of the car and onto the ground as I called again for help.  Thankfully, another passer-by appeared.  She was a nurse and was able to administer CPR until he was revived.  The fire department and paramedics responded moments later and it appeared he would be okay.

As they loaded the gentlemen into the back of the ambulance, the calm that once resided in me, left.  I sat in my car shaking for about 10 minutes before I could begin to drive away.  On the drive home, I began to think about my morning.

Right place, right time.  I've heard that expression several times before.  Was that all it was?  Just a matter of coincidence?  Perhaps, just perhaps, there was a reason that I encountered the parking spot thief who may have had a greater reason than I to be in a hurry.  A reason I was delayed by the indecisive woman ahead of me who was probably ordering her first meal at the end of a very long and thankless shift.  A reason I was impeded by the coupon lady who, after noticing the contents of her cart, was probably a mother trying to make her budget stretch to feed her young family.  A reason I was slowed by the pace of a man, who may have a disability or suffered from depression.

I happen to believe that things happen for a purpose.  I believe in God's purpose.  What was that purpose?  I may never know.  Perhaps it was a lesson in patience.  Perhaps it was a lesson in kindness and the awareness of others.  Perhaps it was simply a series of events that led to one soul helping another soul in the right place at the right time.  Whatever His purpose, I am blessed by the events of my morning.  I am thankful to have been reminded that we are not on this Earth alone.  I am reminded that we are here to serve, to show love to others, and above all seek His purpose.


Philippians 2:1-4
If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.  Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.