49th ANNIVERSARY ARRIVALS

The day began with appropriate verses.......may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. (Proverbs 5:18) 
I'm so grateful God's Word didn't say young wife as one celebrating 49 years of marriage is no longer young.

Ecclesiastes goes on to remind us the importance of enjoying moments because life is fleeting. "Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun;"  (Ecclesiastes 9:9)

It continued with cards, emails and text messages from friends and ended with "cooper" (for 49 years) gifts  from daughter's family and dinner at their house. Plus, 2 copper 2018 pennies---one for our 49th being celebrated and one for our NEWST GRANDCHILD born this year and a BIG part of the celebration!
Another BIG part was "THE GIFT!"

On this our 49th wedding anniversary, how grateful I am for a hubby who shows his love through "our" anniversary gift. A gift for "us" that he let me commission based on "the sculpture "I" wanted."  A "praise" piece by my favorite Papier-mâché sculptor, Heidi Walter. Each is covered with the sheet music of one of my favorite hymns! (Hymns that will be sung at my funeral one day.

The titles & even my favorite phrases are visible on each. See if you can guess the hymn!

---front...grace my fears relieved, back left...then He appeared and the soul felt its worth, back center...and I'll lead you all in the Dance said He, & God and sinners reconciled, back right...sing like never before, O my soul.

It's more than I could even have imagined. As she said, "there is so much more at play here!" I see something new each day!
Check out the process and read what Heidi had to say. 

Drying in the Memphis heat.

....and kindred spirits because we both love the LORD! Thanks for all hubby & Heidi did to make 48th & now 49th anniversaries so special!

"TEA-ditions"

Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth. (Proverbs 5:18, NLT)

Today is our wedding anniversary.....so hubby will have to think hard to visualize any "youth" in said wife. But God, our keeper, has kept us together for 45 years.

Anniversary traditions are always a part of our celebration---

Five years ago I searched far and wide for 40 ruby items....this year it's sapphire BUT 45 sapphire items were way out of this retiree's budget. So...I settled on the things he enjoys most---golf and a glass of wine. Lots of wines come in brilliant sapphire bottles. The problem was which one. Not being a connoisseur of wines, I had to have help. I think the clerk was dumbfounded that I cared more about the richness of the color of the bottle than the richness ("bouquet" in he wine term of a oenophile) of the wine within. Gift 2 is a round of golf at Sapphire Mountain Golf Club for an upcoming trip to western North Carolina when the trees will be brilliant against a rich blue sky.

Naturally, I love all the scriptures reminding husbands to love their wives. (Ephesians 5:22) but many describe what that love will entail.....
"....be exhilarated always with her love...."(Proverbs 5:19c) or as Ecclesiastes 9:9 states, "Live joyfully with the wife whom you love." According to hubby, when I"m happy, it's easier to  to live joyfully with me. So....I've scheduled dinner for us  at the Swag on our extended anniversary trip.
Hopefully, this year's anniversary gifts will provide the perfect cuppa TEA-dition for our celebration.**

**YEA! Hubby's gift follows the TEA-dition as well---Sapphire rules for me, aka Mrs. Rand McNally. An atlas, my favorite gift, had a deep "sapphire" blue cover---I now have Crater Lake blue stars in my eyes! What a thoughtful guy!