Celebrating our Silver Anniversary

Wow! The silver anniversary! 25 years of marriage for hubs and I. We celebrated our anniversary on February 14th. Yes, the romantic Valentines Day. 

My hand fits perfectly inside my husband's hand. I love how God does that. Don't you? We are so opposite, but yet we are the perfect fit. 

I always said I would never marry a farm boy. Haha! That's exactly what this girl did at the age of 23. 

I was living in the country with my two girls. I had just recently given birth to my baby girl when hubs and I had met. She was four months old. I sure wasn't looking for a man to fill my life. In fact I wanted to be as far away from men as I could possibly be. My heart had been crushed and trusting men was far from anything I could perceive. 

My now husband was recently divorced and had two children also. He wasn't looking either. I love how God brings the unexpected and somehow everything fits together in His perfect timing. He knew exactly where each of us were and just where we needed to be. 

I was visiting my mom and my now hubs was visiting his uncle. He had been deer hunting all weekend. I can still see his black hair, curled underneath his camouflage hat. He was decked out in camouflage and had his brown hunting boots on. Yes, 25 years later I can still picture it perfectly. 

His uncle was friends with my mom and her boyfriend. His uncle says to him, "Are you seeing anyone?" Hubs replies a quick, "Nope. There doesn't seem to be many good women out there." His uncle replies, "Well, I know where a pretty one is and she's perfect for you. Would you like to go meet her?" Of course, hubs with nothing to lose says, "Well, I suppose we could go visit". 

Now, I know nothing of this visit. They didn't call first. So here I am with my cut off sweat pants and a sweat shirt that has spit up on the front. My hair is pulled up on my head like some sort of a bird's nest. I had been at my mother's house all day and was just about ready to travel back home. 

There's a knock at the door and here they are entering the living room. He was so handsome in his camouflage. There was something about his green eyes. My girls took to him like they had known him forever. He picks up my littlest, Whitney, and is bouncing her around. To my horror she spits up all over him and down his back! Most men would have thrown a fit. Not him. He laughed and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He wasn't in a hurry to give her back. We got him cleaned up and our visit continued for a while. 

He and his uncle left and I stood there with my mom with Whitney on my hip and Ashley at my side and said, "I'm gonna marry that guy". My mom looks at me as if I've lost my gourd and says, "What? I doubt you ever see him again". It was just three days later I received a call from him. We would be going on our first date.

Get ready. We were married four months later. LOL I know, right? Pretty quick for two people who didn't see a relationship in their future. But God did and He placed us right in the perfect spots at the perfect time. I look back in awe of all God did to bring us together. 

My hubs had journeyed with the Lord since he was thirteen years old and here I was not knowing Him at all. But He sure knew me. He knew this man would love me for all the years to come and I would come to know Jesus through my hubs tender heart. 

Two years later we had our son. Our family was to be complete. It's amazing to look back and see all that we accomplished. We raised five beautiful children together and now we have three glorious grandchildren who light up our lives and somehow get us to do things we would have never done with our own children. LOL

Life wasn't always easy. In fact there were some ugly years. Years that I didn't know if we would make it or not. My hubs had a temper. He carried such anger. I can tell you I've never known a father to fight for his children as my husband fought for his. But this anger carried over and there were quite a few years where I just wasn't sure. In my unsure heart I began praying. I knew I couldn't change my husband. Only Jesus could. And He did. Today my husband is the most gentle man I know. He has grown to be such a godly man. A man that still stirs my heart when I see him. 

Neither of us were perfect. Goodness, we still are not perfect in any way, only through Jesus. He changed us. He molded us. He kept us together and He answered prayer after prayer. He took two messed up people and created something beautiful and lasting. Only God can change us. We often think we can 'fix' one another and change each other into what we want. Nope. It doesn't work that way. God takes His time and molds us, using every possible life lesson to bring us to where He wants us to be. 

With each passing year we grew not only as believers, but we grew closer together. We are still growing. This man that has blessed my life kisses me daily and forever tells me I'm the most beautiful woman in the world. He takes my hand and walks side by side me. 

So many years of chronic illness has blasted me, but I have never once been alone. My husband has always been there to take care of me. He has carried me in the door many times. He has held my hair back when I've been sick. He would drive miles just to get me what I needed. I guess you could say I too have taken care of my hubs. I believe he would tell you so. There is something magical when you put your spouse first. When you just go out of your way to make their day and to make them realize how loved they truly are. 

There have been times where we have butted heads, but for the most part we have simply knocked ourselves out letting the other know just how special they are. So each year at Valentines Day we don't really go overboard and do something outlandish. Why? Because we don't wait for one day a year to come along and tell each other how much we love one another. We do so every day. Every opportunity given we show one another how great our love is. So, yes, we celebrate our love daily in the actions of simply loving each other beyond our expectations.

What I have loved about our family is that we never allowed people to refer to our kids as half or step brothers and sisters. We were family and that was that. We were complete in every way. 

We forgive and we talk things out. We rarely disagree now. We have just grown so close. I tell you this man can tell you my thoughts before I ever speak them. He can look at me when no one else can tell and know that it's a day I'm not feeling good. 

There's something about a farm boy and a city girl at heart. Coming together we share our loves and we enjoy life together. He comes to the museum with me and walks through the zoo and I spend hours with him in the woods deer and turkey hunting. He has become a lover of reading and me, I've become a lover of everything he enjoys. Somehow God has brought us to truly becoming one and friends, that's a love that is forever lasting.