Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Hope in Acceptance

I am finally at a point in my life where most of my memories center around the years when my children were small, instead of when I was.  Our first year of marriage was the beginning of ancient memories, and the memories of all of those years are my most treasured times.  I remember being young and having my own knees, that I didn't even think about!  I remember sitting in chairs all folded up and contentedly reading books--all of the way through in one day!  I remember staying up late with Don and our couple friends on Friday nights, laughing, playing cards, cooking, eating, going to the laundry mat late at night together, and then sleeping until noon Saturday morning.  I remember waking up next to Don and feeling like we were luckiest people in the world to have found each other, and I still feel that way..  I remember Don, when he was in his twenties and could jump over Volkswagons in a single bound.  We would be walking along, and he would fly over my shoulder and land in front of me, all of while explaining that his long toes were like springs that propelled him.  I remember after each of our babies were born, how it felt like God had given us the most miraculous gift in each of our boys....the newness of the little soft heads and sturdy little boyness of our babies.  I loved how, when they learned to walk and talk, they would run for the front door the moment I announced, "Daddy's home!"
      I remember four little boys, running ahead on the walking path, headed toward the park, running away from us....running toward their lives.  And there we are now.  I am thankful for those memories, and I miss our young family.
      God witnessed all of those days...the good ones as well as the ones that weren't so good.  He witnessed the deterioration of my knees and some of my dreams, and He provided new knees and new dreams.  He sees my heart and what I miss about my youth.  He knows that Don and I need some newness again.  The beginning of the families of our married children is a type of newness, but it is their beginning.  We need our own separate beginning, a newness for our old age.
One thing I love about being a Christian is that every day we can start new....a day with possibilities of its own, separate from all of the others.  But, first we have to leave the day before, in order to have a new day.
    So there it is--it's time to leave behind the family of our youth and become the family of our golden years.
Don and I were not a young married couple long before we became a family of three.  We were married a year and three months when our oldest was born, and that was the beginning of a wonderful time of fun and family.  We needed every ounce of that youthful energy to raise and provide for our four sons.  Now we are both tired and not liking it much.  But we still are a family, and we still have dreams!  More than that, as long as we have life, God has given us a purpose and a hope for forever!  And we also have memories of our youth together, and the promise of being one for the rest of our future!  And in a week, we will have spent 36 years together as husband and wife!

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