The various issues that normally find their way into this blog are no less important today than any other day, but my mind is elsewhere. Today, the world can wait.
This 26th of May is the 26th anniversary of the day that Jan and I stood before friends and family to pledge our unending love and commitment one to the other. Jerry Niswonger, our adopted pastor, led us through the vows. We had the hutzpah to sing to each other a touching song that Jan had written. We exchanged rings and made promises that we meant, then adjourned for a nice reception under the picnic shelter, prepared by the good ladies at Tabbs Creek Baptist Church.
It was a lovely day I’ve never forgotten, or regretted. We’ve been through some tough days in 26 years, and some beautiful days, and a lot of days that were somewhere in between. I’m grateful for every one of them.
On this day, we’re celebrating by doing some of our favorite things. We’ll get a biscuit from Bojangles for breakfast, and then play a round of golf, which Jan will almost certainly win. Later, we’ll get cleaned up and eat at a nice restaurant we’ve been wanting to try. It should be a good day.
What I’m not doing this year is investing any time searching for a decent anniversary card. Flowery cards that begin with “For my Wife, on our Anniversary” and then go on to some cloying, schmaltzy sentimental poem may be fine for some folks, but they don’t register with us. If something cheesy needs to be written, I can write it myself. If I want something good, I’ll quote the Song of Songs:
Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as an emblem on your arm,
for love is as strong as death,
passion fierce as the grave . . . (Song 8:6)
I hope we have a long way to go before we walk off into the sunset.
Postscript: Jan truly celebrated the day by scoring her first hole in one — number four on the white course at Keith Hills. A memorable anniversary, indeed!
Professor of Old Testament at Campbell University Divinity School in Buies Creek, North Carolina, and the Contributing Editor and Curriculum Writer at Good Faith Media.
