37 years of marriage...

Danny and I have been married 37 years today.

37 years. Wow. That is quite the accomplishment. I must have all the answers for any kind of marriage woe there is.

I should compile all my marital intellect and write a self help book. HAHA. We might get a chapter,

We've have been through a lot together. I met Danny in youth group at the First Baptist Church in Commerce City, Colorado. We went to high school together. and dated three years before getting married. I've known this man for long time.

We've been through his military service and cruises together. If I am honest those cruises sucked. One cruise our eldest son was 3 weeks old when Danny left. When Danny came back almost eight months later, Milton screamed because he didn't know his father.

We have three handsome sons Milton, Nathan, and Joshua, several grand children and some lovely daughters in law. We've started businesses and watched them fail together and are just insane enough to start another one. We've moved several times. I followed him to California, and Colorado and Montana and Arizona and back to Colorado. And we are still together.

37 and it was smooth all the way. Boy is that a fib or what.

Everyone knows a relationship takes time, patience, love and grace when you're just not feeling very loving. And I should know all about that loving stuff, it was my mother's maiden name.

If only relationships were that simple.

What I'm writing here, is just the bare minimum of our life together, the memories and love. We've had long years to create our story.

Danny and I have laughed and cried together. Prayed together, loved together. Watched our children grow together. And now we get to watch our grand children as well.

Our sea of life together has had calm waters, and some rolling tides. There were times we barely got over some squalls and others nearly turned us over or crashed us against the rocks.

I wish I could say that was all due to my great relationship skills. We'd have crashed and burned if it were left to me. Or probably even to Danny, and my husband is a very gracious and loving man. And very patient too. When I was at my worst, he loved me and showed more mercy than I should've have been given. And I probably showed him some mercy and love and patience as well.

But... there were lighthouses in our lives. We would not have a relationship today were it not for friends and family coming along side of us and holding us up in pray or offering us a shoulder when life seemed ready to implode. And we certainly wouldn't have made it without the love and grace of God.

He blessed us with the friends. He blessed us with years. And there were many times when it was only His arms we could fall into.

And He held us.

On this day that celebrates our 37 years together, I just want to tell my husband Thank You.

Thank you so much for sticking beside me. Thank you so much for letting me be me and loving me still. Thank you for listening to my dreams and telling me to chase them and soar. Even if I don't sell a million copies of the books I write. You've been my biggest fan. Thank you so much for praying with me and sharing a love of God with me. Thank you for our sons and for our legacy. I hope others are as blessed as we've been.

Thank you for taking care of me and being the kind, gracious, generous man you are.

As I sit here and consider our time together, I am surprised at how fast it seems to have gone by. Too fast. I wished I would have written more down. How much was forgotten along the way?

I pray we are blessed with many more years together.


Love you... forever and ever and ever