Wtih Sincere Congratulations (and Awe)

Darin and I had the wonderful privilege and honor of attending a 50th wedding anniversary celebration today. Una Mae and Raymond have been married 50 years ... 50 years, wow. No doubt they, like every couple, have had moments when murder seemed like a feasible and reasonable option, but, by God' s grace, today, they were surrounded by family and friends to commemorate a fantastic milestone and accomplishment. It's awe-inspiring to see people who find commitment so sincere, friendship so deep, and love so faithful to make it so long together. I still believe with all my heart that the best marriages are made by best friends. My senior year of college brought home that lesson to me. I was dating, well, a ding-dong, but didn't realize it at the time. Following graduation, I learned that he had been anything but faithful and trustworthy in our relationship. It was at that point I asked God to allow me to marry my best friend, whomever that might be and whenever that might occur. I realized I needed someone whose character and personality I knew well and trusted without question or suspicion. It took longer than I would have liked, but when he placed Darin in my life, I found the answer to that prayer. So far, we've only made it 7 and a half years, but they have been the most amazingly fulfilling days of companionship and love. We still have 42 and a half years to go to catch up with Una Mae and Raymond, but I look forward to making the most of each of them. My heartfelt thanks and awe goes to them and so many others who set the example for us to follow. Congrats!