35 years.

35 years.  Wow!  I say that because in one sense it seems like it has gone by so quickly, and in another it seems we've spent our entire lives together.  

We were just youngsters when we got married.  I had just turned 21 and Scott was nearly 20.  We were just two young kids jumping into life together with no fear.  My parents had married young and after only knowing one another for a month, so I wasn't concerned about only dating Scott for 7 months.  I figured we had 6 whole months on my parents.  And Scott was so infatuated with me, all he knew was he wanted to marry me, and FAST!  

Now 35 years, 3 kids, and 2 grandkids later, it seems like what James says in James 4:14, just a "vapor".  

But that vapor has been our life.  And it's been full of trials and triumphs.  Laughter and tears.  Dirty socks under the bed and curling irons left on.  Long hours at work and screaming kids at home.   Then in a blink the kids are grown and it turns into long hours at work and the mother-in-law at home.  

So how can you turn that crazy life into bliss?  Into "happily ever after"?  Into "as long as we both shall live"?

Before Scott and I got married, my brother Dan, who officiated our wedding, counseled us.  And one thing he said has stuck like glue.  He asked what marriage meant to us.  Of course, our answer was "love".  He said, "No, marriage is commitment".  He explained how you don't always feel love towards the other, and in those times, it's commitment to one another and to the vows we make before God that will carry you through.  And those words have proven to be right over and over.  

Commitment to one another, like roots of a tree.  Planted.  Never to be moved.  Planted through the sweet times.  Through the rough patches.  Through financial difficulties, living from paycheck to paycheck.  Through not having a paycheck. Through the birth of three beautiful children.  Through the loss of a child.  Though finishing school with young kids and long hours at work. Through a failed business.  Through a successful business that takes a lot of time.  Through the needs of aging parents.  Through the death of parents.  Through the pain of rebellious children.  Through seeing your children grow up and leave home. Through job changes.  Through move after move to unknown places and building new relationships.  Through it all!  Choosing to be committed to one another.  Allowing those roots of commitment to grow deep and wide and be planted firm to celebrate the good and to weather any storm.  

And I have found that the more committed you are to one another, the more love you feel.  I'm sure that is what my brother was trying to tell us back in that counseling session as well.  It's not that tingling love that brings the goosebumps you felt while dating and when you were first married.  It's the bond of love that brings trust and tears.  Tears of thankfulness and appreciation that God can take two foolish kids, and knit them together and make them one.  Still, after 35 years.

And Scott Moore, if I were that young 21 year old girl, knowing what I know today, I would still say yes.  Yes to you.  Yes to the life the Lord has given us and to what He still has in store for us.  I pray He gives us at least 35 years more!

My sister, the "country mouse".

Recently I took a trip to Wisconsin to visit my sister.  She and her husband have spent the last 7 years renovating an old farmhouse on 3 acres.   It is one of my favorite places in the world to visit.  

Now, my sister and I did not grow up on a farm.  We lived in the small town of Brazil, Indiana and grew up  running around the streets of our neighborhood.  So farm life was not something we were use to.  But my sister has embraced this life, and excels at it.  She teasingly says she's now the country mouse and I'm the city mouse.  And I guess she's right, but I do love escaping the busy of Jacksonville, FL to be a part of that country life every year, even if it's for just a week or so.  

One of my absolute favorite things about their place is the chickens.  I show how much of a city slicker I am by being so entertained by them.  Seriously, they are just so cute!!!

 And they give you presents!

There were several years while we were growing up that my parents had a garden.  My sister loved working the garden, even as a child.  Now she works a garden of her own.

While I was visiting, spinach, salad greens and asparagus were ready.  And my sister does a beautiful job of using what food is in season.  So we had a lot of yummy salads and a delicious asparagus quiche while I was there.

In addition to her farm life, my sister is a talented artist and has a studio in her home where she makes pallet signs for her business, "White Hen".  I've mentioned her beautiful signs in my blogs a lot.  I have them in nearly every room in my house!

 This "Gather" sign is going up in my house!!  

But even though our lives are very different with me living in Florida being a "city mouse" and my sister in Wisconsin being a "country mouse",  our roots grow very deep and our love is wide enough to span from state to state and country to city.  We can learn and grow from one another and enjoy and benefit from the differences in our lives.  I'm very thankful for my sweet "country mouse" and the time I can spend with her is a precious gift.