An (Extra) Ordinary Love

Depending on your age, the concept of celebrating an anniversary floods the senses with a myriad of images that range from the mundane to the ephemeral. Many well-known, overused phrases from the husband caught in that instant the wife asks, “Honey, what did you get me for our anniversary?” to the trend-setting, budget-busting, movie-scripted soiree talked about on the society pages for ages to come to the forefront of my mind.

The other side of the anniversary celebration deals with the original moment being celebrated and the person or persons involved. The common idea immediately brought to mind is a wedding celebration. So common is the theme that there are lists involved which tell us what the gifts for celebrating should represent. Silver, gold, and diamonds are the most obvious images that jump out. Paper, wood, and cotton don´t elicit shrieks of joy when the parties start for the first, fifth, and second commemorations when those get-togethers are held.

Wedding anniversaries are the most commonly celebrated, and they provide the benchmarks for all long-lived marriages, but they are not necessarily the most meaningful events that are cause for remembrance. Life has those moments that provide common ground for conversation amongst family and friends that sometimes make those special moments even more deeply felt.

I would suggest to those who know me and my lovely wife and our sons, that the heart and soul of any celebration here revolves around a profound understanding that none of the traditional themes enjoyed could be had without having made a conscious and very personal decision related to faith and spirituality. All the other decisions thus build on that foundation. Looking at life through that filter brings a

certain meaning to the most important decisions made after that. I, for one, am convinced that faith has painted our lives with brilliant and deeply saturated colors which make our celebrations more exciting and meaningful regardless of the theme or the number of years past.

So, you might be surprised to see the tears flow when invited to celebrate the day Jeannie and I met, or the day she said she would go steady, or the day we were married, or any of our birthdays (especially the boys), or the day John got his first pair of glasses, or Brandon graduated from kindergarten after learning to tie his shoes, or so on. A lot of love has been shared here by family and friends.

The memories from those years bring tears of joy as we light the candles on the cakes designed for the occasion at hand. Typically, we gather in a circle around the bar in the kitchen, share thoughts and jokes about the time gone by, and then a prayer of thanks for all those here and gone and the joy each brought. This year is our 53rd Anniversary and I am moved by the totality of the moments and the memories that have made those years so full. It is somewhat appropriate that all the charts claim paper as the representative image of this anniversary because this blog is my digital dissertation in its place. My wife and sons, our family and friends – these are the gifts that bring me the true feeling of blessedness one hopes for when celebrating all our special moments.

Yes, anniversaries around here are a big deal and so are the celebrations that go with them.

For those wondering – 73, 53, 50, and 40. Also – first Tuesday after Labor Day, December 22nd, and March 22nd.

Thanks, and praise for all those days.

~ David Joyner