July 29th came and went and then it hit me…UGH!!!! I missed my parent’s anniversary! Eegads. I shot off a quick email but still felt badly. My mom never misses a birthday or anniversary for us kids. She is always quick to write thank you notes to all who minister to her. And here I go forgetting their anniversary.
It got me thinking about them being married and raising my two older brothers and me. I can’t imagine life without my family, not any one of them. Yeah, all of us have messes that smear our past like squished doggy dumps (saw some on my run today so the image is still fresh). We would fuss about dinner, vacations, and each other’s faces. We threw tantrums and always thought we were right. I told on my brothers and they told on me. We had deployments, moves, and lost friends. We all had bouts with depression and pain we couldn’t express and yet I really love my family and cherish the memories. I am so thankful that my parents ended up getting married and had us. It has become even more remarkable to me as I have my hands full with one and they had three wild whippersnappers. I am sure that my parents thought about giving up at times, don’t we all? Yet they stuttered at times and persevered. They have made mistakes with us and we have made mistakes with them…again, something that I have come to appreciate more now that I have my own child. But their faithfulness to hug us, answer our calls, and remember our birthdays and anniversaries has proven their love over and over.
I can’t imagine life without my brothers either! We had our moments of less than liking each other and driving our parents crazy, but I can honestly say that I love them more now than I ever have. We are all different yet love to come together and watch the Redsox, play catch (with an occasional broken nose), or sing around the piano. Now we all have our own kids and spouses so the heritage lives on. One anniversary has led to three. I like that math. So happy anniversary again mom and dad and thank you for sticking with each other and us through the bumps, brambles, and brawls. The good has far outweighed the bad. The Lord has been kind despite our best efforts. =0)