A Ruby Anniversary

Today my super adorable parents celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary! 40 YEARS.

1979. The year of the silver tux and velvet bow tie.

My parents seem to have it figured out. No seriously.

They have known each other since they were teenagers; they were high school sweethearts. They got married when they were 20 and 21, so they have been together pretty much their whole lives. They basically grew up, became adults, figured out life as adults together. 

Neither of my parents were believers when they got married. And it wasn't until they were in their 30s when my mom was invited to a Bible study and came to know Jesus as her Savior through the study of God's word. My dad thought she had joined a cult, so he started going to the Bible study to see what she had gotten mixed up with, and he came to know Jesus as his Savior through the study of God's word. And they have been faithfully serving Jesus and each other ever since. True story.

I share that because it is just such a testament to God's amazing grace and faithfulness to them. To keep them together despite their young hearts and personality differences, to bring them both to saving faith in Him so close together, and to grow their marriage stronger over the last couple of decades. Praise God for His blessings over my parents!

My parents certainly don't have a perfect marriage, but I think it comes pretty darn close. And it's because of their love for Jesus and their love for each other that we are now celebrating their ruby anniversary! They serve each other in countless ways, support one another in the small and big things, and seem to spend every waking moment together {not really, but kind of...they really like just being with each other!} They have shown us such a wonderful example of what's truly important in marriage and in life, something that I have grown to appreciate even more over the course of my own marriage.

Mom and Dad, thank you for being such an amazing example of commitment and selflessness. Thank you for fostering the closeness in our family, for creating fun memories, and for being the steady "home base" for our family. Most importantly, thank you for teaching us what it means to love unconditionally, sacrificially, and faithfully.

Still smiling, just as happy as can be, 40 years later!

Happy Anniversary, you crazy lovebirds! :)