52 Years and Counting!

Today is our 52nd wedding anniversary!!!  I find myself pinching myself and wondering where all those years could have gone!  It just doesn't seem possible it could be so many years already!

I mean, I thought people had to be really old to be married this long! LOL.

But there we were, on August 16, 1969, being presented to the world as 

Mr. and Mrs. John F. Steiner...

Happy Day, Happy Day!!

Our first "act" as man and wife! LOL.

And here we are today...52 years later...still "acting" together...but not really acting...this is real life...

filled with real joys and many blessings...even though often mixed with real trials and real heartaches...

We are thankful and blessed to have at least this much of our family here with us today.

We have one dear son,  Matthew,  in heaven and his wonderful son and wife still living in Maine...we really miss seeing them,  but again, we are thankful for what God has given us here to enjoy.

L to R (below) Youngest son Scott, me, our daughter in love Rose, John, and our oldest son Benton

And no, our son Scott really isn't a little kid like it looks in this picture. He was the photographer who had just set the phone camera on a timer to take our picture and had to run and jump into his place before the picture was snapped. I think it turned out pretty good.

Certainly better than these candid shots he was taking when I didn't know it:

We were trying to figure out where to take the picture so the lighting would be "just right".

And Scott was just snapping away...

And I'm saying, "What are you doing???"

And I didn't know he was taking this video all the while...I hope you appreciate the humor of these moments captured for your viewing pleasure. 

Anyway, these fun pictures were taken last evening when our kids came over to help us celebrate our anniversary.  We had already been out to eat after church yesterday, but Scott couldn't join us then, so we decided to just have a "snack supper" last night of Sloppy Joes, and Rose and Benton brought over some fresh baked brownies and ice cream for dessert. Yes, we really know how to whoop it up for our anniversaries! And to tell the truth, I would rather eat sloppy joes with my family anytime than dine at any 5 star restaurant or go on a cruise or do any of those other things that would make us have to eat peanut butter the rest of the month. LOL. 

Today, on our real anniversary, we had ideas of going someplace for the day and doing something fun, but the weather was "iffy", and to be honest, I wasn't feeling really great and we decided a day at home together was just fine with us.  We'd been out to eat already yesterday, went to a church pot luck lunch on Saturday, and had also gone out to lunch on Friday because our AC was broken down and we needed someplace cool to sit until the repairman could come that afternoon and fix it, which he did, and we count that among our many blessings!! It was a simple inexpensive fix...and we are cool as cucumbers again and praising God for AC and honest repairmen!! 

So I feel like we celebrated plenty.  And very very thankful.

52 years of marriage to the man that God chose for me is definitely something to be thankful for.

Our cards to each other.

And as I was writing this, God sent this sweet little visitor from heaven outside my window, at least that's what a lot of "legends" say, that when a Cardinal comes a calling it is a visitor from heaven...I don't know that I really believe that, but then again...who knows?  Maybe it is true...and whichever visitor this is, he is certainly welcome:

Here's some of God's thoughts about marriage:

Genesis 2:18-24

18 And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” 19 Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.

21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.

23 And Adam said:

“This is now bone of my bones

And flesh of my flesh;

She shall be called Woman,

Because she was taken out of Man.”

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh."

Thank You, Lord, for the gift of marriage and for the 52 wonderful years You have given us. I pray we will enjoy many more happy and healthy years together.

Amen.

Thank you for coming along with us on this little journey today.  We are blessed to have you as our special friends!!