A TRIBUTE TO MY PARENTS

"Forty-three years you have been married? How can that be. You must be lying. No one stays married that long anymore to one person."

These are the words or at least the indications expressed with raised eyebrows and questioning looks when my parents recently told people their anniversary will be Saturday, June 6 and that they have been married 43 years. Marriages that last longer than ten years anymore definitely are a rarity, so much so that anyone married longer than ten years is accused of lying. I want to pay tribute to my parents for their many years of commitment and faithfulness to one another. The road has not always been easy, but love, commitment, faithfulness, and God have all been the glue that has kept them together. What a treasure of legacy my parents give to their three children...a legacy that we all hope to continue within our own marriages.

Mom and dad were born on opposite sides of the country, but met on the east coast at a banquet that mom sang at on Valentines Day. Enough said. They lived on the east coast for several years during which time my father attended seminary, took a church pastorate position, taught school, and worked odd jobs to make ends meet. Both my brother and I were born, residing in Pennsylvania for our first 6 and 7 years. Our family then moved to Alaska when the Alaskan Highway still lived up to its reputation. Very few can claim they had the privilege of driving on that highway unpaved, 35 miles an hour a lot of the way for two weeks in a suburban. My sister was born and made her arrival a year after we moved 90 miles north of Anchorage to Victory Bible High School and Bible Camp. Dad and mom both taught at the high school and dad took a position as assistant camp director for a year. The mission mom and dad joined moved us to Palmer where we lived for seven years at the foot of Lazy Mountain and had a view of Pioneer Peak out the largest picture window I had ever seen. They both taught at the Bible college for Alaskan Natives as well as raise their three children. Dad began church planting in Anchorage and so Anchorage became home for us seven years later for a few more years, at which time my parents decided to make a change and join another mission organization bringing them to Portland, Oregon. They have been involved in Bible studies with Native Americans, work on reservations across the country, and some international travel. God has blessed them greatly for their service in His kingdom, for their commitment to one another, and their faithfulness in raising their children. God never promised a rose garden, and a rose garden they did not have until they moved to Portland. Mom now has beautiful roses in her yard, representing that forty-three years later their lives are blooming more abundantly than ever, and God's rewards and blessings overwhelmingly flow daily. Mom and dad, thank you for your example and the legacy you have created, not just for your children, but for all those with whom you are connected, even the people who would like to accuse you of not being married these forty-three years. Your lives impact them as well when you speak of your love.

Besides all they have accomplished together over the past forty-three years, their lives are stories of a masterpiece being created for a bigger purpose, an eternal purpose. Through our parents we learned that the meaning of family is togetherness, love, forgiveness, and understanding. Raised as a missonary kid, I received first hand experience of seeing God provide, not just for desires, but for our needs; a lesson that has carried me through many days in my own family. Never did mom and dad sacrifice their giving to God, even when they were uncertain where the next meal might come from, and yet we never lacked three meals a day. Looking at old photos our kids laugh at the hair styles and the clothes we wore, and yet we never went without clothing for all seasons. We witnessed conflict within the household, but we also witnessed love strong enough to overcome the obstacles, always returning to unity. I don't ever remember a time when my father missed kissing my mother good-bye when he left the house, or vice versa. Decisions were made together. My parents were a team. The greatest gift these two people could ever give is the gift of the marriage as an example of what love, commitment, faithfulness, and reliance upon God means. May God continue to bless you both mom and dad. You are well loved.

MOM SONG

Cannot watch this enough. Love it. Even the kids laugh when they see it, because they know it's true.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIRkNK8xEHo