37 years of love

My parent's 37th anniversary is today. Not traditionally a very notable anniversary, and probably not one they have a lot planned for. (But then, whenever they do plan something big, life usually gets in the way.) It probably wouldn't have been that notable to me either, except that I happen to be digitizing their photos, and I just scanned the ones from their wedding. Last week I scanned some poetry my Dad wrote for my Mom, and an old column he wrote about her. (For those of you who don't remember columns, they were kind of a precursor to blogs, but you got paid for them. They put them in newspapers. You do remember those, right?)

Anyway, here's my favorite wedding photo:

To someone who's still seeing that look so many years later, it's doubly beautiful.

The poem made me cry. It was written a few years after they married, and is such a perfect picture of a young couple learning to be content in what the Lord has blessed them with. That's something they still counsel young couples today. Here it is:

"A Christmas Song of Joy"
Wally Metts, Christmas, 1976

I. A Prelude
Two People Cold and alone
No job,
Away from home,
No friends nearby....

Eating spaghetti,
And wondering why
They've come to start,
A quest for a vision
That fades, it seems
With daily needs
And common things.

II. A Prayer
"Lord," we say,
"Teach us to be thankful,
And to pray each day."

What one means
Is that we want steak
Instead of beans.

But the Father's plan
Brings greater joy
Than that of man.

III. Provision
He gives instead
The cold dark night
From which is born
Our soul's delight...
Not in the gifts
Which we may own
But in Himself
Upon the throne.

The morning comes
When we desire
Not the gifts,
Not the blessings;
But the holy fire
Consuming our hearts
With songs of praise
Adoring the beautiful
Ancient of Days
And seeking only
His wondrous face
And only then knowing
The scope of His grace.

IV. Proof
...and after all,
Isn't the source of Christmas joy
His gift of Himself - a baby boy?
Born long ago, on a cold dark night
To give the world both peace and light.
Our Savior, Redeemer, Lord and Friend:
Giving and giving, till in the end
His love poured out, full and free,
And proved itself on Calvary's tree.

My parents have learned this lesson well. They strive almost daily to teach it to others. Their faith is as much a part of their love as their years together. It is what strengthens and sustains them. Well, that, and a good cup of tea. =) My Dad mentions this very thing, in one of my favorite recent blog posts.

In the old column I found, Dad said he was pretty sure my Mom only had two faults, although he used the word vices. In his blog this year on her birthday, he compared her to a fine wine, that she was wonderful and intoxicating. He often sings her praises, and I love to hear them.

My mom isn't the writer that dad is. She's a much more private person. But I know she loves my father just as much as he loves her. She looks to him for guidance as he looks to her. She has always told me of things that he helps her with, and what a good and godly man he is. She doesn't write about her love, but she shows it in so many little ways. The tea and conversations they have, the shirts she irons, the meals she cooks, the way she is constantly learning more about his health conditions so that she can keep him healthy. She is a source of inspiration to me in my own marriage.

This week, it's been a wonderful experience to see them as they were young, and just starting out, and compare it to how they are now. In many ways, they haven't changed. Yes, they are older, wiser, and more in love every day, but my Dad still looks at my Mom the with the same look he has in his wedding pictures: Like he can't believe how blessed he is to have her in his life. He still writes to her, and about her. It may not be poetry, at least not that I've seen, but it's beautiful nonethelesss. And my Mom? She's quietly there for him every day, in so many ways.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad. Thank you for the blessings we've all gained from your love and years together. I love you.