April 1 Sunset on MIssissippi River

 

Two Deer after Sunset

 

Stained Glass at St. John's Lutheran Church Johnson Creek, WI

 

Stained Glass at Historic Church in Milwaukee

 

Snapshots of Faith: Twenty-nine years

 

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful, it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

 

Twenty nine years ago on April 2, these Bible verses were read during a wedding ceremony. Two 20-something year olds stood in front of a church building filled with family and friends while the groom’s grandfather officiated the service. These two listened to the words spoken, sang a duet and said some vows. They promised to love each other no matter what, through life’s ups and downs. They promised to be kind and patient, to love unconditionally. And they were excited to start building a wonderful life together, full of dreams and expectations of what life was going to be.

Then life happens. Reality sets in. Adjusting to living together, busy schedules, hearing the other one snore, job losses, figuring out that it’s best when driving somewhere that she drives and he navigates, lack of time with each other, moving, miscarriages, things not turning out how it was supposed to, and so on can lead to forgetting vows made. The promises of being kind and patient with each other, not being irritated with each other, and enduring can be easily replaced with being irritation, unkind words, tempers flaring and just basic not being nice to the other one.

Things we have learned over the last 29 years of marriage (and are still learning and working on) is that marriage is work, life does not always go as planned, the other spouse is not the enemy, we are on the same team, it’s important to take time to get away and forget other distractions, enjoy time together, forgive, and Christ needs to be the foundation of the marriage.

Twenty-nine years, through better and worse, through sickness and health, through it all, I’m thankful for every year and don’t take any for granted. Thankful for this union that God brought together.