February 19, 2015

Another anniversary, our 38th, and our 5th to be apart. Yes, I still remember anniversaries. Yes, I still wear my wedding rings. Yes, I am still married to the man I fell in love with 39 years ago. Even though he is no longer here, our souls are still bound together as one and will be for eternity. Just waiting for that truth to become reality in His time. A few days ago I was telling my family about one of my most meaningful anniversary memories, and that is what I would like to share in memory of my sweet husband. This was probably our 9th or 10th anniversary, and we were pastoring a very small country church in Oklahoma. We didn't make a lot of money in the way of salary, but were happy knowing we were in the will of God and doing what He had called us to do. He always provided for the things we needed and sometimes even just wanted. People would frequently bring us groceries to help us out. I remember once we were going to have french fries for lunch but didn't have any ketchup and the kids were wanting some. It just so happened that someone brought a bag of groceries with guess what in the bag? Yep, ketchup! Another time, we were hosting an evangelist and his family, and I wanted to make a cherry chip cake but didn't have a cake mix. Again, that morning someone brought us some groceries and right on top where we could see it was a cherry chip cake mix! I told the lady who brought them that I had just told the kids that I wished I had a cherry chip cake mix to make for dessert for supper. She told me that when she was deciding at the store which cake mix to buy, that one seemed to jump out at her. What a great and wonderful God we serve! Those were two powerful lessons to the kids and to us that God promises to provide for our needs according to His riches in heaven! And if we delight ourselves in Him, He will give us the desires of our heart, even if it is as simple as ketchup and a desire for a particular kind of cake. And there were many, many more lessons as he taught us to seek Him first and He would supply our needs! Now back to my anniversary story. On this anniversary we didn't have much extra money to celebrate the day, but decided we could go into town and have a cheap meal. We didn't have any family that lived there or any money to pay for a babysitter, so we took the kids with us. Bethany wasn't born yet, and Stephen was a toddler, and Rebekah 6 or 7. We enjoyed our meal together and the kids even behaved themselves so we could all have a nice time. It was quite a treat to eat out anywhere, in those days. Before heading back to our house by the church in the country, we stopped at a grocery store in town to get some milk. The kids and I waited in the car while Ken ran in. When he got back, not only did he have the milk, but he had a single rose with babies breath wrapped in paper for me. The little rose was brown on the edges and slightly wilted, but to me it was the most beautiful rose I had ever seen! You see, Ken had always gotten me flowers for our anniversary, usually a rose for each year we had been married with a note tied to each one. This year I knew there was no money for roses. And Ken hadn't planned to buy them this year, but while he was in the grocery store they were selling their valentine's roses at a greatly reduced price, since it was 5 days after valentine's day. That didn't matter to me. God had again provided a desire of both our hearts. Ken's desire to be able to give me a special rose for our anniversary, and my desire to receive his special love roses anniversary gift! Whenever I see wilted roses after valentine's day, it is a reminder of how much my Ken loved me and how much our God loves us and provides for our needs with a few extra wants as well. What a special kind of love! I took a picture of some of those little wilted roses left from valentines day that I saw at a store a couple of days ago and will leave it on my phone just to remind me that The Greatest of these is Love! Praising God today for ketchup, cherry chip cake, and wilted roses!!