Congratulations Mom and Daddy

Today is my parent's anniversary. Just when I think I have a lot of experience with my seven years of marriage, I add on at least another 20 years and realize I have a lot to learn.

I want to thank my parents for setting such a wonderful example of what a marriage should be. They have been through so much and life is never boring for them! Life on a dairy farm brings about many adventures and a whole new meaning to the definition of faith. Even though life has never handed them consistent financial security, their faith in God and his providence has never waivered. And if it did, they did a great job of keeping it from my brother and me.

When I look back on my life growing up, I am filled with happy memories. I got to grow up in the country where my imagination could run wild. Life was never boring or mundane. It never dawned on me the frustrations my parents had of an old farmhouse and its coal furnace as the source of heat, chopping wood to keep it warm for us, the never-ending weather changes that make or break a farmer's livelihood, and the worries of what the milk industry would hand them next.

I think about how happy I was without a lot of stuff (even though Billy and I were tremendously blessed) and it makes me wonder why I worry about life for my children now. Are they really going to remember that they lived in a house where the living room walls are still white or will they remember the warmth of a loving family? Will they think back and wish their parents both worked so that they could buy more stuff or will they be thankful for quality time spent with us?

My parents relationship has always been a strong friendship, which I am grateful for. It made me seek a spouse that was my best friend. I remember my parents always, always talking with each other, which led me to marry someone who I could talk with forever.

Thank you Mom and Daddy (yes, I am 31 and still call him Daddy) for your commitment to each other and to your family.