This is 43 perfectly imperfect years

Well, friends, this is us 43 years after saying, “I do.” It’s been a ride, a bumpy ride, a scary ride but a blessed ride. And, yes, he’s my “ride and die” as they say. And, I’m his.

We have 2 grown children, Ryan 41 and Stephanie 37, both married to their loves, Hilary and Billy, and between them we have 6 grandchildren: Braeleigh 15, Brady 14, Charley 10, Cori 8, Corby 6 and Cooper 1. And, needless to say, they light up our lives. And, that old saying is so true, “If I’d have known grandchildren were going to be this much fun, I’d have had them first!” But, in all seriousness, our children bring us much joy and the love they added to our family when they married and had children just put us over the top with blessings

Charlie and I have been empty nesters for years now and though it took some getting use to, we LOVE this side of life. Honestly, once you get over the hurdle of your children being gone, it’s such a wonderful time together.

A little about us:

I was 18 and he was 23 when we got married. Yes, we were too young, too dumb and didn’t have two pennies to rub together. But, we didn’t care. We loved one another, knew what we wanted and set out to make it happen. We’ve been through the usual ups and downs, like every couple, and we weathered them all but admittedly we didn’t always weather well. But, with each mistake or misspoken word, we learned quickly that it wasn’t about us at all. It was about God and us together. Without the Lord’s guidance, grace, mercy and faithfulness, well, we probably wouldn’t be celebrating 43 years together. In fact, we probably wouldn’t have celebrated many years together. But, God is good, God put us together and He has continued to remain faithful as we work on our marriage every single day. And, I always say, it’s the hardest job you’ll ever have but the MOST rewarding.

As I sit here, my husband just brought me a card, some York peppermint patties and a box of Turtles. He knows what I like! By the way, cards are a big thing in our house and to be honest, it’s what we both prefer over gifts. However, we make it a point to take a trip every single year on our anniversary and this year is no exception. We are leaving for Pensacola, Florida tomorrow and we’re driving! That’s a BIG DEAL because he hates road trips but I love them. So, this year we’re going to hit the road, take our time and enjoy the time away together, with the Lord and enjoying the world God created for us to enjoy. For the most part, we’re not big on gifts but we do love to travel together.

Speaking of gifts, it’s never been a high priority for us. We’d rather give to our kids and grandchildren. Christmas is hit or miss whether we gift one another but we always gift our family. Anniversaries, as I said, are mostly celebrated with a nice dinner out and a trip together and that’s good for us. We’re, for the most part, pretty simple and we’d much rather spend money on things that require time verses just things.

A favorite verse that we quote to one another often, lol, is Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you”

We’re both stubborn as the day is long and sometimes that gets in the way of honoring God’s word to be kind and tenderhearted. But, through the years, whether we just don’t have the energy to fuss or we’ve truly grown spiritually, forgiving one another, being kind and gentle with one another has become easier and almost second nature. Don’t get me wrong…we still fuss but it hurts more to know we’ve possibly hurt the other. So, with age and time comes grace and a softness that, quite honestly, can only come for God because we are still stubborn! LOL

Anyway, I could go on and on but now you have a glimpse into how we started and where we are now and we both credit it to God and His amazing grace. Basically, we’re just two stubborn sinners that have learned how to forgive and love one another fiercely.

Wendy XO