48Years, More Today Than Yesterday
On April 16th, 1978, I nervously stood in front of the altar at Stinchcomb Methodist Church. When the doors swung open, a beautiful girl stepped through and walked down the aisle to take my hand. The preacher asked us to promise to love each other until death did us part. We both said we would, and he pronounced us husband and wife.
On that spring day forty-eight years ago, we thought we knew what love was. But like all newly married couples, we didn’t have a clue. The truth is, I don’t think you can know what love is until you have experienced life. You can forget about all the fairytale ideals of love. Happily ever after requires a lot of struggles.
In the last forty-eight years, Deborah and I have had a blessed life. There have been times when we scraped the bottom of the barrel, but the barrel was never empty.
Together, we have cried tears of grief at the death of loved ones. We have held each other and cried tears of joy at the birth of children and grandchildren.
We have fought over things that mattered little but always made up because we knew what mattered most. She can never leave me because we go everywhere together. I am proud to say that we’re still having fun. After forty-eight years, She is still the one I want to talk to in bed.
Forty-eight years have gone by since that preacher told me that I could kiss the bride. Throughout those years we have seen better and we’ve seen worse. Our bank account has been richer but it has also been poorer. We have prayed together during sickness and we have praised God in our health. Deborah, it is your love that colors my world. I love you more today than yesterday but I love you less today, less than I will tomorrow.
From the Bible
“I may speak with the tongues of men and of angels. However, without love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
I may give all my goods to feed the poor. I might give my body to be burned. Without love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
I Corinthians 13:1-13 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/1co.13.1-13.NKJV
Douglas Huff
From Down Where the Pavement Ends
email-douglas@pavementendsministry.com
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