Tomorrow my husband and I will observe our 50th wedding anniversary. The day will be low-key—no cake, no balloons, no fanfare. That’s fine with us because we began our marriage with little extravagance. We went to our church chapel, invited the pastor to attend us, and added our matron of honor and best man as witnesses.
Our pastor said he tied a slip knot with our vows. The harder we pulled against each other, the tighter the knot became. He understood the key to a long marriage. Keep pulling together.
Our journey had begun.
Fifty years sounds like a long time. Wow! Half a century. We’ve lived with each other more years than we spent single. We realize we’ve accomplished something many couples never achieve. Have we always been happy? No, we haven’t, often finding conflict dealing with extended family. But through prayer and commitment we soldiered on.
We’ve walked through the usual life traumas, holding on to each other and clinging to our faith in God. Financial ups and downs, a disabled child, health crises, and deaths of loved ones found us like any other couple. We had no magic formula—only a daily commitment to keep moving forward one dilemma at a time.
We supported each other’s interests. My husband liked to sail, so we owned a sailboat for a while. He enjoyed old cars, so we bought a Model A Ford for him to tinker on. He enjoyed treating his work crew to breakfast, so we hosted them regularly.
When I decided to expand my writing career, he sent me to my first conference. Upon returning home, I was surprised by a transformed second bedroom—complete with desk, shelves, and a place for a computer. He celebrated the release of my first novel and tolerated the extra copies I kept for giveaways and contests. He believed in me.
We marched in political rallies, worked in pro-life fair booths. and assisted our aging neighbors—together. We often knew what the other was thinking and we completed each other’s sentences.
God said in Genesis 2:24 (KJV), “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Having arrived at this point in our lives, I understand what God meant.
Marriage is work. Love is not always based on feeling, but often on choice. We choose to love, we choose to stay beside each other, we choose to be one flesh.
And I’m so thankful our pastor tied that knot.
Patricia (Pat) 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 doesn’t remember the content of her story, but her teacher became excited at what she’d done. “Obviously,” Pat says, “words made people happy.”
Pat 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. Love Calls Her Home, A Kite on the Wind, Love’s Autumn Harvest, and In Search of Forever followed.
Pat lives were her husband in the Pacific Northwest. They have two grown children. She is a member of Oregon Christian Writers (OCW) and American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW).
Can they bridge the long gap in their friendship?
Growing up, Jayden Clarke dreamed of becoming a Marine like his late father, who was killed in Afghanistan when Jayden was nine. His foster dad, Kurt, was also a decorated soldier. But his own encounter with a narrowly missed IED in Afghanistan leaves Jayden wounded and honorably discharged. He returns home defeated, his dream destroyed, not certain what his future will hold. Who will he become now? Is there anyone he can turn to?
Two years out of college, Baylie Summers has returned to the Mueller Rescue ranch where her best friend Jayden Clarke once lived as a foster teen. She hasn’t seen him since they graduated six years ago, but she’s thrilled when she lands the job as the ranch’s fundraising newsletter writer. Seeking refuge from the storms of life, Baylie waits for Jayden to return home, hoping he’ll have wisdom to help her recover from past incidents she wants to forget. Once a foster child herself, she fears Jayden might not like the woman she’s become. Will telling her secret make her lose Jayden forever?
