Oct 2, 2010

Greetings My Friend,

Junior and I were at a store recently. He was at the check-out and I walked up to him and put my items on the counter. I told the cashier that this cute man said he would pay for my things. The cashier laughed.

Junior and I love to play silly games. Our games are not about put downs to the other person. We have fun playing games. Out here in Virginia whenw e go away many times I will start off walking down the road and when Junior finishes, he will drive by and pick me up. I get my excercise in and to be honest I love being picked up by my man. I feel like a young girls once more, out for a walk, a honk from a man letting me know he thinks I am attractive feels real nice. He is safe.

For a few years we had stuffed animals on the bed. Ours were not the pretty type. They were rather homely, but we loved them. We had a giant frog and a rhino. As I went through cancer, I'd come hame and see the animals positioned in prayer. I'd ask Junior to tell me about what they were doing and he'd say "praying for you." Sometimes they were huddled close with a Bible, they were reading their Bible. Even A our granddaughter got into this act. She'd put Papa's sport coat on the frog with a neck tie. On the rhino would be a little bonnet. We always had fun with them.

When we eat out, we will sit side by side. We like that a whole lot. We did this when we dated and have kept it up. I just love our little games. They feel good and make me feel special to my man. I finally have the attention I longed for. It is precious to me.

These games help us stay committed. They also help us to not take life overly seriously. It is easy to get caught up in the serious things of life. The more we stay serious, the less hope we tend to feel. The games keep life light and airy, fun really. No oneelse may understand me like my husband does and when we take life lightly at times that helps us work through the hard times together.


Moving to Virginia was a rough time perioud for us. We loved each other, to be honest there were days though that we wondered what in the world we were doing. That ws a major move, a major change in our lives. We saw firsthand how differently we really were. For the most part our similarities were what drove us. The move brought out our differences in a big way.

Another rough period was when Junior retired. He retired before he was ready die tp jos back, so he struggled to find himself as a retired man. His personality underwent a few changes and at times I found the changes hard to deal with. Then of course there was my retirement and I was not the girlmy husband had married.

We are embarking on another change again. We have found a house and are renovating it for our older years. Much of the work will be hired out, some we will do ourselves. I have been prayer for a long time now. I am asking God to help us through this transition.

I heard one time the 1 in 1,0000 marriages end in divorce in couples that pray together. Junior and I are entering our 13 year of marriage. We started praying for our marriage on our honeymoon. I have to admit when we enter int some of our struggles, I find myself holdingmy breath so to speak. We have a failed marriage each behind us. I love this man so much that "us" not being together would devastate me. Then I remember the times where we struggled and survived.

Once again I learn to "see" when God has helped me in the past. This "seeing" helps me to be confident. I also learn to allow those "silly" moments to return. After each rough patch, we become friends. I believe our love is even stronger because we have worked through another struggle. We also learn to enjoy the peaceful times and we realize that the rough patches of life are always around the corner.

Once again I learn to "see" when God has helped me in the past. This "seeing" helpsme to be confident. I also learn to allow those "silly" moments to return. After each rough patch, we become friends. I believe our love is even stronger because we have worked through another struggle. We also learn to enjoy the peaceful times and we realize that the rough patches of life are always around the corner.


So as we embark on this transition I have confidence that we will come through it. We will be friends and we will enjoy our remaining years married, not "stuck" with each other. I remember "hearing" couples spout off the number of years they were married like it was a badge. The more you got to know them, the more your realized that they were in it till "death do them part." They did not like each other, they did not respect each other, but they did the time. I don't want that type of marriage either. I want us to be friends. I want us to be married for a life time.


So again, I am in prayer for this new journey we are on. I know that I know that in the end we will have a nice home, a comfortable home, a friendship and will enjoy our lives.

How important is marriage to you? Are you willing to pray for it? If you aren't married yet are you willing to pray for the man God wants for you? Are you willing to "wait upon the Lord?

May God bless you and keep you, make His face to shine upon you.

Love
Janet