Twenty-One Years & Counting

My wife and I are celebrating our 21st wedding anniversary today. We were married on February 8, 1986 at the First Baptist Church of Pleasant Grove. Please don’t tell what I am about to share with you, because it is a surprise. Just don’t say anything until Sunday.

My gift for her this year is something that has taken me twelve months to create. I received the idea from Dr. John Thweatt, my pastor friend and marathon training partner from First Baptist Church, Pell City, Alabama.

Last February I purchased a journal. It is a “blank book”, in which you can record your own words. In the book I recorded some keepsake thoughts for her to always cherish. It has been a delightful experience creating this memento of our marriage.

I have had a blast putting it all together. It is amazing what you can think of to record over a matter of a year. I made one mistake, however; I did not purchase a large enough journal. As many of you know, I am a journal freak. So, writing my thoughts is an easy and enjoyable task.

For anyone interested, this could also serve as a great Christmas gift to your family or birthday gift to a family member. Another pastor friend and NOT a marathon training partner, Dr. Ron Ethridge from Woodward Avenue Baptist Church in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, compiled a similar piece for his entire family last year for Christmas. He made an accompanying PowerPoint slideshow. He said his family loved it.

What did I write about? You name it. One day I recorded the major milestones in our life—when and where we first met, our first date, our first kiss, our engagement, our wedding day, the birth of our children and so on. Some times I wrote the lyrics to some of our favorite songs. While surfing the web one day I discovered how to write “I love you” in about 40 different languages. I conducted some research on her name, along with mine, Taylor’s and Kelsey’s. The really good stuff included personal thoughts and letters I wrote for her only. I also filled the pages with special Scripture passages.

I cannot wait to see her response when she opens the gift today. I think she will most definitely cry. I know I have cried periodically writing my thoughts. I have also wondered what my children will think of this family heirloom when they read it years later after we have left this earth for our eternal home.

I like the idea so much I am currently compiling a one-year journal for my son to read his first year in college. I am assembling this journal a little bit differently. Instead of containing only my thoughts and ideas, I am asking other family members and friends to write one or two devotions to be included. It is a major task writing 365 devotions. Actually, I am writing 265, while my family and friends are writing the other 100. As with his mother, I cannot wait to see his response.

I hesitated sharing such an intimate part of my life with you, but I felt like some of you would benefit from the idea. And, once again, try to keep this a secret until Sunday. I doubt any of you will see her until then since I am taking her out of town for a quick 48-hour get-a-way.