It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us. . .
Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
I’ve often wondered if Dickens knew how profound those words were when he penned them. The quote captures the essence of every life whether someone lived in the 1800s or now lives in the 21st century. Each of us face challenges we’d rather not experience and triumphs we want to share. We all suffer despair and rejoice in hope.
I ought to know—my husband and I mark our forty-fourth year of marriage today. Wow, huh? Did I marry a perfect man? Ahem. No. Am I the perfect woman? Never.
Did I marry a perfect man? Ahem. No. Am I the perfect woman? Never. - @lee_patricia__ Click To Tweet
God ordained marriage. He saw that man should not be alone and he made woman to be his helpmate. In Genesis 2:18 the Lord says, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make a helper suitable for him.”
He didn’t create another animal. Or another moon. He didn’t build another star or add another man. He made woman in man’s image.
“Therefore a man shall leave his mother and his father and cleave to his wife. And the two shall become one flesh.” Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:5, and Mark 10:7 All three passages refer to this theme.
The pastor who married us said he tied our marriage with a slipknot. That way the harder we pulled against each other the tighter the bond would become. As we grew as individuals, and as a couple, we needed that anchor to sustain us many times. Life, as Dickens wrote, is not always an easy path.
I recently commiserated with a young mother who had hoped to celebrate her fifth anniversary July 4th. But the milestone day stretched into the night while she tended to a toddler with a sick tummy. Having experienced the worst of times that day she dreaded facing future celebrations in the same manner. I assured her that upcoming anniversaries would not all be sidetracked by young children and that festivities ahead would become more couple-centered.
I well remember how anniversaries in our earlier years often were determined by the health of our children, the wealth of our checkbook, and the demands of others on our time. - @lee_patricia__ Click To Tweet
I well remember how anniversaries in our earlier years often were determined by the health of our children, the wealth of our checkbook, and the demands of others on our time. We spent several years tending to aging family members who were facing life-threatening ailments and needed our care. We weren’t always free to celebrate our marriage as we wished, but we always took time to remember the day of our wedding. Sometimes a home-cooked meal with a fresh baked cake proved to be the extent of our festivities.
I told that young mother that she is on the right track. Two people striving together to live the life they are given will reap rewards as well as trials, but be assured God is growing them together for Him. He has a plan for each of them and for their life as a couple. They will face the best of times. . .and the worst of times. . . but hang on, God is there paving their way with Love.
Patricia Lee
Patricia Lee has had a fascination with words and what they can do since she wrote her first short paragraph at the age of six. She worked as a stringer for a local newspaper during her middle and high school years representing the school’s news to the community. She received her B.A. in Journalism from the University of Oregon, then went on to work as a tabloid newspaper editor at her local church.
After she married, she began her freelancing career and sold to various publications, including Expecting, Moody Monthly, and Power for Living. More recently she has published in two anthologies, Cup of Comfort Bible Promises and Heavenly Company, as well as featured articles in Focus on the Family’s Clubhouse magazine.
An Anchor On Her Heart, her debut novel, released in July, 2017. Two more novels in the MENDED HEARTS series followed: Love Calls Her Home released in March 2018 and A Kite on the Wind released in August 2018. A fourth book in the series releases in 2020. Her first book is also part of a contemporary inspirational romance collection on Kindle called I Choose You.
She lives were her husband and an aging cat in the Pacific Northwest. They have two grown children.
