Thirty-six years ago today, as part of an evening worship service, my wife Pam and I joined hands and exchanged our wedding vows. I had less than $25 in my pocket, an old station wagon that seated twelve, and the dreams to create a family that would someday fill it. I kept hoping that the pastor would finish with the vows quickly before my wife realized the depth of her mistake.
I have learned the love of Christ through her. Never has she given up on me nor has she failed to follow my leadership. At the very least, she’s only politely questioned it. She has brought joy into my life all of these years.
Even during the recent storm, when life was so uncertain and my eyes were temporarily darkened, she brought sunshine into my heart. Each night, she came to the hospital and stayed with me until visiting hours were over. She held my hand, tucked me in, and put headphones on me so that I could listen to a Bible CD. I fell asleep listening to the stories of Joseph, King David, of the creation, and the birth of Christ.
My brain was in a blender. I didn't know right from left, up from down. I needed assistance go to the bathroom, to dress, and to walk. The doctor was not hopeful, and yet hope visited my room each night. Before listening to my evening CD, I said goodnight to my son, Joseph, and thanked God for my daughter, Dawn, and two sons, Stephen and David, who brought me a plant that brightened my room and reminded me of God’s love.
Fifteen months later, I wish to take the opportunity to thank my wife for all she has done for me and all that she is. She has been faithful in every meaning of the word and for that I thank her.
Now please don't misunderstand. We have had our disagreements, and on more than a couple of occasions, I have had to duck and take cover as a flying plate stated her opinion with great lucidity. But as strong as our disagreements may have been at times, our love was stronger still. We clung tenaciously to God in times of stress and trouble. We prayed, and God did not turn away from our prayers. We cried, and we did not cry alone for He was with us.
When we married, my wife was 18 and I was a clumsy, inexperienced young man of 25 who had no idea what life was about. But I knew Christ. I knew that He loved me; I knew that I loved her; and I knew that if we made one commitment to each other, everything else would work out. And so it has.
The commitment that we made was that no matter what we faced, we would never divorce. We vowed to never go to bed angry with each other; to stay awake and fight until the fight was over. We vowed to be willing to forgive.
I could wish for you a far more prosperous life than the one Pam and I have shared, and I could certainly wish for you a more beautiful car than the one we drive (or at least one with less than 200,000 miles on it). But I could never wish for you to have more joy than Pam and I have experienced or more peace then we share today. So, I wish you our love!!!!!
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