Promises to Keep

“...to have and to hold from this day forward,

for better, for worse,

for richer, for poorer,

in sickness and in health,

to love and to cherish,

until we are parted by death.

This is my solemn vow."

As we dutifully repeated the words put forth by Uncle Owen, we probably didn’t give enough thought to the import of our words; we certainly didn’t comprehend what would be required of us as we worked to keep those “solemn vows”.

There was no way we could see into the future. No way we could know what sort of curves life would throw us after we drove away from that little church as husband and wife.  It was for the best that we didn’t know what sort of changes were in our future, since the present seemed challenging enough.

When you’re young and in love, you don’t give much thought to the future. Except, perhaps in some idealistic, romantic kind of way. You meet “the one”, you make “the promises” and you ride off into the sunset...

The reality of life is much more complex. The day-to-day realities can prove stressful. Throw in a couple home-schooled kids, a life changing event, a total change of location, re-invention of ourselves, new construction, and entrepreneurship and I can assure you things can seem a little out of control. When the Boss got that scary diagnosis, we embarked on a whole new chapter in this roller-coaster ride.

It’s been 33 years since we stood in that church with the ugly green carpet on that sweltering September day, repeating those vows before family and friends. In all that time, we’ve remained true to those promises, despite countless trials. We’ve made our fair share of mistakes and enjoyed our successes. We’ve struggled through the difficult times and reveled in the good. We've watched our kids grow and flourish and add a new generation. (you can read more of the story HERE)

The past year has been difficult so say the very least...and the way ahead looks uncertain and any future plans seem tenuous at best...

 However, we still have promises to keep...

...and work to do...
together

              Happy Anniversary!