Entry: Birthday Memories May 14-18

I'm attaching my picture of my hubby, David, at his 50th birthday party last summer. This picture is of David with a blow-up walker his best friend got him. He is acting the part of an aged gentleman here.

We threw a surprise party for him. While I did a lot of black stuff, I believe there’s so much more life to live after 50, so I splashed a lot of turquoise and purple in there too. I made David barbeque our lunch for us and then he opened some presents.

I am nine months older than David, and for only a few months out of each year we are the same age. The rest of the time I get a lot of “old lady” jokes from him. Being menopausal, I have been experiencing the “joys” of middle age longer than he has, but I can now tease him too.

This past year has found some new “middle-age delights” for David: a pair of reading glasses on each level of the house, waking up with mysterious aches and pains, and for the first time in his life, he had to get up in the middle of watching a movie at the theater to go to the bathroom.

On the way down the hallway at the theater (I had to go too), he turned toward me and said, “Old age sucks.”

So for his party, I was able to find some black suckers that said, “50 Sucks” on them. We had many laughs at poor, old David’s expense, but he was a great sport about it.

We married at the ripe old age of 18, and are about to celebrate our 32nd anniversary together. Who would have thought we’d still be able to enjoy each other’s company so much after all these years? Certainly not our parents, and I hadn’t given much thought to it either.

I constantly marvel at the wonderful man of God David has become. By keeping the Lord in the middle of our marriage, we’ve been able to beat the odds. My marriage is my most prized possession, and I look forward to the next 50 years with my best friend, my mentor, my spiritual leader, and the guy who keeps me laughing. Each day with David is as a refreshing breeze. Words cannot express the comfort I find in growing old together. It is a rare gift that most strive for, but few attain these days.

God has blessed me richly - reading glasses and frequent bathroom breaks included.

Submitted by
Jeanne Marie Leach