Pursuing More

Just wanted to share a pic of the newlyweds! Such an awesome couple (even if I might be a little biased)! And a testimony to God's view of marriage. They had his wedding ring tattooed on. Marriage is a permanent relationship. Amazing how the husband-wife relationship can be reframed in our mind  when we take the "D" word out of our vocabulary. Or better yet, don't ever let it in in the first place. It may not always be "Happily Ever After" but with God's grace, it can be "Ever After".

The day before Mother’s Day, the flower shop I was working in was abuzz with preparations. Among the constant stream of customers, I spotted a short elderly man making his way slowly toward me. “Can I help you with something?’ My heart instantly warmed to this gentleman, the pleasantnesss of his soul could be seen on his face. “I want to buy some flowers, but I haven’t got much money.” I guided him to our display cooler and began to show him the options available. He decided on 1 red rose, no vase, to keep the cost down, and I carried the roses to the counter. “I’ve never bought flowers for anyone before,” He said with thoughtfulness. “But these are for my wife; we’ve been married for 86 years.” He paused and gazed at the rose I was wrapping in colorful paper. “You know, I’ll take 2 roses. I want it to be nice, she’s in the Alzheimer’s unit and I’m taking them to her now.” I felt my heart in my throat and tears welled up in my eyes as I collected $7.42. I thanked him and watched hi...

The telephone woke us. It was 1:15 a.m. Our oldest son was on the other end. “We need you to come pick us up. We hit ice and wrecked your truck. It’s not drivable.” My heart stopped. Relieved he and his wife were ok, I sent up a prayer of thanks. I jumped out of bed and gathered flashlights as my husband donned his coveralls, Carhart, hat and gloves. It was 31 degrees, a warm night for January in South Dakota. I sent up another prayer of thanks. Then I settled into my routine of pacing and praying. It’s what I do when I’m concerned and can’t do anything to help a situation. The phone rang again. It was my daughter-in-law. “I just need someone to talk to while Jeff is outside checking on the truck. I’ve never been in a wreck before. It is good we were on the bridge when we spun, otherwise we would have probably rolled.” I was so glad to hear her voice. So glad she was ok. She told me about what happened, then went on to tell me about her day. It had been her special day. Her Chr...