The times do shift on us. I was, at one time, a copious journal writer. Religious even. A day did not go by that I did not write pages and pages in my journal. And then the times shifted. I met a man and suddenly I no longer needed to spend so much time writing because I could share with him all my thoughts, my dreams, my hopes and imaginations.
Thirty-seven years ago yesterday I stood before the altar of God and promised my love and faithfulness to that man. And it has been a wonderful journey. Thirty-seven years is a long time – but it doesn’t feel like it. We have had joys beyond belief and struggles that have challenged us. But even after all this time we still do share the depth and breadth of our souls.
And now the times have shifted again. That man I married thirty-seven years ago has retired and you may have noticed that I cannot keep up my daily posts. Not to worry. All is well. I just don’t have that urging need to write about something I’m thinking or feeling or experiencing . . . because once again I can share with him . . . as I always have, but now I can do it immediately. And once I have shared, there is less of a need to write about it.
To have someone to share our joys and sorrows with is indeed grace. To celebrate our thirty-seven years of love we went to see “Les Miserables,” which we had never seen before. I vaguely knew the story, but not enough to know the story. So it was with great emotion that we watched the final scenes where the character sings “To love someone is to see the face of God.” I know that to be true. I have experienced it. And it is grace.
So, if I am not so faithful in my writing as I have trained myself to be over this past year, please don’t worry. I am enjoying my love and I will write when the shifting time and space allows. And I will try for at least once a week if not more.
Enjoy and savor these times of grace and love. They are God’s gift of grace to us. They are, indeed, the way we see the face of God.