It’s hard to believe and even harder to admit, that I am old! But then as I reflect on my long…short life it only seems like a snippet of time has passed. It surely has only been thirty-five weeks, I mean really how could his be? I have been married over half of my life. Today is the anniversary for me and the preacherman……thirty-five years ago today!! Who could even believe ones so young could be together since our teen years, okay that was a joke, no letters please!

In my mind it seems like its been only thirty-five days or hours. Our elders tried to warn us…..”enjoy it because it goes fast” they would say. They were so silly I thought, we have plenty of time I thought…..yet they were right. I’m always striving to get it right, one day I will be the perfect wife, homemaker, preacherswife no less, only to feel at this pivotal old age that I have yet to get it. Whatever the “it” is? I meant to plan better and be more supportive and be the wind beneath his wings…..okay that about made me puke and laugh all at the same time!

Thirty-five is a big number, I have some markers in my life one of which was to make it past how many years my parents stayed married and I have already passed that one with flying colors, yippie! I am a success! Yet when I realize that we have been together for thirty-five years its laughable….they said we wouldn’t last six months! Take that nay sayers!!! We win and we will always win because we not only fell in love…we fell in like. Despite all the ridiculous days I put the preacherman through, he continues to like me. He’s such nice man.

The funny thing is we are so much alike, we have the same crazy since of humor and if one day he ever realizes he could have done so much better than me, I would rather be his friend than nothing….he is the funniest person I know, in our family we try to pick who is funniest, our kids say they are….but they are complete amateurs, give me a break! We think alike in so many ways and we knew somehow thirty-five years ago that this was it. I knew this tall beautiful man was my dream boat and if he actually picked me I would never look back.

Soon, in about fifteen minutes! we will be at fifty years of marriage…….piece of cake! That next fifteen years will fly by and I will probably be still feeling like I don’t measure up but I still will be standing on the rooftops shouting that I am the luckiest girl in the world!! He picked me, yes me! And I picked him. I have never regretted saying yes to him and I am humbled that the Lord has kept us to live life together. That has been the magic…..without Him it could have gone either way. We have chosen to stick, chosen to make Him the center of our marriage and it was the best choice we ever made.

So on this auspicious day, 24 April, 1982 I married the charming boy with the big smile who by the way….tricked me and became a preacherman. Surely the smartest decision that I have ever made. He has given me a great life…an eternal life even….I may have never found on my own, four beautiful babies and a hope for a future. I have made peace with the facts about my inability to be the perfect wife….he loves me even though. Happy anniversary sweet husband. Thank you for giving me a great life.