With love and trust we know each morning that the sun will rise. Even when we cannot see it, like today when it is pouring rain as if a pipe had broken.  But with love and trust we know the sun is still shining, still giving warmth and light with all its effort.  The sun doesn’t decide to do that – that’s just what it does!

This week, 36 years ago, with love and trust we said “I do” to a committed relationship.  Thinking back on it, I had no idea what I was doing or saying.  No idea at all.  But, with 36 years behind us – years of joy and happiness, trials and struggles, children and stresses, jobs and mortgages – now I know what “I do” means.  It means continuing to give warmth and light even when it isn’t easy or comfortable.  It means staying committed when something else may look more interesting.  It means loving as a decision, as well as an emotion.  What begins as an emotion has to be able to survive the days and nights of continual rain and sogginess.  Eventually, the emotions mature into deep commitment and give warmth and light because we decide to continue to love and trust – no matter what – whether the sun is shining or not.

This decision to love and trust has brought much happiness and joy to our lives.  Our four children, our greatest blessings, are now grown and we are rediscovering what attracted us to each other in the first place.

I’m reminded of a comment made to us while visiting the Smithsonian Air and Space  Museums recently.  The person at the counter wanted to know if we wanted tickets for our “little ones” as well as ourselves.  I replied that our “little ones” were now “big ones” and that we’d left them on their own.  “That’s what happens,” he replied, “so now you can become “little ones” yourselves again.”  And, that’s just what we are doing.  Exploring this part of the country as if we were young again.   A sense of adventure has brought us across country to DC and to commemorate 36 years together we are giving each other bicycles so we can explore the parks and trails in this area.

All because of love and trust and the two little words “I do” that have shaped our years together, every moment has been graced.