My wife and I recently celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary. I wasn’t sure what to get her, so I did a little research and learned that there is no specified gift for the 31st year. Thirty years of marriage is the “pearl” anniversary, but that was a year ago. Back in the day, I was pretty good at math so a little creative thinking brought me to the conclusion that I could simply combine the 30th anniversary with the 1st anniversary, and voila! Paper and pearl combined = the perfect gift.
“Happy anniversary honey! I made this for you!”
“It’s a spitball. You made me a spitball for our anniversary.”
“Well that didn’t go like I planned.”
Then
Thirty-one years is a long time. A really long time. I told her the other day that I remembered a time when we were able to finish each other’s sentences. Now we can’t even finish our own. We used to laugh at my parents because when they’d go to rent a movie at the local video store, they couldn’t remember what they’d already seen. They would ask the clerk to check their account to see if they had rented a certain movie before. If they had, they would ask the clerk if they liked it. It’s not so funny anymore.
You’d think that after all these years, we’d know each other pretty well. Indeed, we do, but there are still times that we’re surprised. For instance, just this morning we had a conversation that went something like this.
“I think I’m going to get some sort of hockey tattoo on my arm.”
“Yeah, I really don’t think so.”
“You won’t even consider it?”
“Not gonna happen.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re my wife and you’re not getting a hockey tattoo.”
Now
Still, there’s no one on earth who knows her better than I do. Likewise, she knows me better than anyone else does (and chooses to stick around for some strange reason). In some situations, the more you know about someone, the less you like them. I suppose that could happen to just about anyone, since no one is perfect.
But that’s where love takes over. You see the person, not their faults. You see their hopes and their dreams. You see their hurts and their sorrows. And for that one special person, you see that you don’t want to go through life without them.
The Maker of heaven and earth knew me before I was born. Shortly after He created me, He created a little girl not far from my house. I’m pretty sure that He whispered to me, “She’s for you.” And He probably whispered to her, “He’s for you. Sorry.”
Happy Anniversary Janet! I love you!
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. Genesis 2:24
May was a very popular wedding month!
G and I have reached the point where we know the other better than we know ourselves.
Don’t always comment, but I read all the posts. Happy Belated Anniversary!
After 31 years she probably felt that she had earned the tattoo. Maybe you should have compromised and let her get a tattoo from a less violent sport, like Medieval Jousting.
Congrats on the longevity in a world that’s already switched partners twice while I wrote this.
Thanks! And for the record, there’s no way she’d get a hockey tattoo. Me, on the other hand… but then our marriage streak would end at 31 years.