Rocking on the Porch

I was sitting on the front porch in a rocking chair watching the most important man in my life on a John Deere.  I was thinking how I'd really like to go to Bloodworth's store and get some fresh sliced ham and some hoop cheese to make a sandwich. A real Coca-Cola in a glass bottle would just top top it off.  I knew when I finished eating that meal that there would be something really good for dessert made with loving hands.  Yep, that sounded like a plan. I could hop on my bike and ride those few miles or maybe I could get a ride in the car. 

Then I heard Adele playing on Pandora on my cell phone.  Back to reality.  I was sitting on the porch in the rocker but it was my husband on the stick steer mower and not my Daddy on the tractor that I was watching.  The sandwich still sounded like a good idea but I wasn't sure how late the store stayed open on Saturday.  And there would be something good for dessert but it would be my hands that made it--but it would still be filled with love.

It is odd how sometimes the smallest things bring back so many memories.  I remembered the many times I spread a quilt under the walnut tree in the front yard and stretched out to read a book.  I thought about the times with my Grandma Mitchell watching her dry sliced apples on the tin roof of the old building in the back yard.  I laughed thinking about the chickens and how I hated the rooster because he always tried to peck my ankles.  Of course, I liked to watch Grandma catch a hen and wring her neck!  Fried chicken was on the way!  In my mind I could hear Momma's voice calling from the back door to come on in.  Good memories.  Good times.

I miss a lot of things about those days--a lot has certainly changed..  Daddy and Grandma have reached their eternal Home and Momma doesn't say anything any more.  I long quite often for time to just be still and read a book--no worries, no rush.  I miss so much from my childhood days.

A lot of things I don't miss though. I never really liked dried apples in my fried pies so I'm glad now to just make them with applesauce.  And when Momma called me to come in I was probably helping Daddy do some kind of work. (I'm sure I was never as much "help" as I thought I was!)  And I really do prefer buying my chicken with no bones or skin--and especially no feathers.  :)

So I waited for the lawnmower to be loaded on the trailer.  I left the porch and got ready to head back to our house.  But I carried with me a sense of peace and comfort that I rarely feel as an adult.  And for a little while that was enough.

The Day We Said "I Do"

At 2:30 in the afternoon on June 5, 1982 I made the most important commitment of my life.  That was the day I vowed to love, honor, and encourage (Come on!  You knew I was not going to say "obey"!) one man for as long as we both shall live.  I made this vow in the house of God with those we love best watching.  My Uncle Henry performed the ceremony and I knew once we slipped those rings on our fingers and sealed it with a  kiss that this was a forever commitment.

Here we are 30 years later.  30 years!!  We were so young and not nearly as smart as we thought we were. :)  But that sacred covenant between the two of us with God is what has held us together through these past 30 years.  I would be lying if I said that every minute of every day of every year was perfect and stress free and romantic.  During those years we have raised 2 baby boys to manhood.  We have buried grandparents and parents; grown dogs and new puppies.  We have spent hours working, watching athletics, and serving God.  And some of that time fighting--or really I yelled and screamed and he just sat there quietly or walked away. (Nothing is quite as aggravating as wanting a good argument and getting no response!  lol) But it was ok for us to go through those rough times.  It just cemented the commitment we had made.  We could disagree all we wanted but neither of us could leave.  Oh, one of us might take a ride somewhere but we always ended up right back here--together--and made up and learned things and moved on. 

I am certainly not the same person today as I was then and neither is he.  But that is the way it is supposed to be.  You grow; you mature; you learn; you change.  But through it all I knew that we would always have each other.  (Of course, my Dad said I was non-returnable so I guess that may have helped some! ha ha)  If I had known everything I know right now, would I have done some things differently?  Probably.  Would I want to change everything?  No way.  Maybe we don't live in the house I'd dreamed of but it is a house filled with love and laughter and good food.  I still don't have my '65 Corvette convertible but I've never been without a way to go.  No picket fence, no perfect life but more important things.  In those times when I didn't think I could cope, I had the love and strong arms of the man who promised to be there--always.  I knew where my husband was, who he was with and what he was doing for the past 30 years.  I never feared that he would be out till all hours of the night.  And I knew that come Sunday morning we would be in church--as a family.  What a wonderful thing.

We made it through some tough times and some times when we were discouraged.  But the fact that we stood our ground and stuck it out has gotten us to this time of our lives.  We still work and have lots of responsibilities in our lives.  But we still love one another and, maybe more importantly, we still LIKE one another.  I'd rather spend time with my husband than anybody else I know.  We are more likely to be listening to the Booth Brothers or the Talleys than Meatloaf or Journey but we are still known to listen to a little James Taylor.  And the real Saturday Night Live still cracks us up!

The point to all of this is this:  even though this has not been a perfect ride, it has been worthwhile.  I am so thankful for a Godly husband who loves me more than anyone else on this earth.  A husband who opens my doors, holds my hand and keeps me laughing.  The husband of my youth that is still the husband of my middle age and, if God allows, will be the husband of my late adulthood. 

Happy Anniversary, Babe.  I love you more today than 30 years ago!