Forty Years and Counting

Forty years ago, Mom was graduating from Concordia Teachers College with a degree in Elementary Education. Bill was graduating from Milford with an associate's degree in Electronic Engineering. And, we were all in the midst of last minute preparations for a wedding. Christmas festivities became somewhat incidental that year. Finals were our first priorities, then wedding activities kicked into high gear.

Grandma Vawser and Aunt Marilyn pitched in to sew Laura's candlelighter's dress that cloudy afternoon.  Mom just hadn't had time until then.  Bill and I ignored the custom that the bride and groom should not see each other on the day of the wedding until the bride walked down the aisle.  We ran a few errands together throughout the day, and greeted out of town guests as they arrived at the house.

Bill and I didn't stop to think that our future anniversary celebrations would forever be overshadowed by Christmas.  We were thrilled that the church was beautifully decorated for Christmas.  Our red and white color scheme meshed perfectly with the season.  As we left the church after the ceremony, the lazy snowflakes drifting down through the cold, crisp air, just added to the ambiance.

We didn't want a fancy wedding.  Aunt Ellen made my dress.  Actually, she made three.  The first two were just for practice, made out of cheap fabric, just to be sure she got it right.  I remember shopping all over Lincoln for just the right lace.  Then, when the real dress was done, the heels on my shoes were a little too tall, so Ellen had to add more lace at the hemline to make the dress long enough.  Perhaps I shouldn't tell because, until now, no one ever knew.

The ruffle at the bottom of Laura's dress was much more noticeable.  At the age of twelve, she must have grown a lot that fall.  The length of fabric purchased for her dress wasn't quite long enough, so Grandma added a ruffle at the last minute.  I don't think I knew anything about it until much later.

Dad asked if we wanted a wedding dance.  At the time, to Bill and me, it seemed like too big of an expense for something that wasn't very important to us.  But, I think that all of our guests would have enjoyed it greatly.  Instead, we opted for a cake and punch reception in the church basement, followed by a light buffet supper at the house for family and out of town guests.  The shrimp cocktail was a huge hit.  Then, Bill and I sat on the living room couch and opened gifts before we changed clothes and headed to Lincoln to our apartment.

We didn't want a honeymoon.  We just wanted to spend our first night together in our own apartment.  We had moved in a hodgepodge of hand-me-down furniture and wedding gifts throughout the previous three weeks.  Bill had worked hard, all fall, to refinish a round oak table and eight chairs that had been rescued from the hotel before it was torn down.  Bill's Grandma Lucas paid to have her old couch recovered for us.  His folks bought us a good used mattress from some family friends.  Bill and I used some wedding money to buy a desk and chair at an auction in Fairbury.  Aunt Ellen lent us a dresser.  We had everything we needed.

Except a job.  Bill had a brand new degree, but he didn't have a job.  We were not at all concerned about that, because we were convinced that God would provide what we needed.  Anyway, Bill's parents were concerned enough for all of us.

The morning after our wedding, some friends brought by a new aquarium and some fish as a surprise wedding gift, so we spent part of the day setting that up. Then, we did a little shopping, and set up a joint checking account at a bank in Lincoln.  The money we received as wedding gifts was more than enough to tide us over until Bill got a job with Notifier, installing fire and burglar alarm systems. He started work in early January.

On Christmas Eve day, we bought a Charlie Brown Christmas tree, stood it in an old crock in front of our living room picture window, and decorated it with the eight ornaments we had received as wedding gifts.  On Christmas morning, we cooked the turkey that was taking up space in our tiny freezer compartment. (The turkey was a premium for opening some account or other.)  Mom and Dad, and Dan and Laura, came to Lincoln to join us for our first Christmas dinner together.  We furnished the turkey.  They brought everything else.

It hardly seems possible that forty years have passed since Bill and I were first married.  We could never have imagined this journey we have been on together. We vowed to love and cherish each other in good times and bad, until we are parted by death.  We meant what we said, even though we didn't really understand it.  I don't think that any young couple understands the range of highs and lows they will experience throughout their married lives together.

Through all of these forty years, we have discovered something else we didn't really think we would need.  Throughout all of the ups and downs, the good times and the not-so-good, God has remained faithful.  He has never left us alone.  He has shown us over and over again just how much he cares for both of us.  We wouldn't have survived these last forty years without him.  With him, anything is possible.

Here's to forty more years, together.