daily java

Daily Java:

Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth. (Proverbs 5:18)

Didn’t the Lord make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth. (Malachi 2:15)

There was a wedding renewal in WalMart about noon today. There was a quite a crowd. The bride wore white with a veil. The groom, a big, stupid looking guy wore a tailored back vested suit with a white shirt and black tie. The maid of honor wore purple, the best man wore gray. The minister wore a brown suit. Society coverage was nil, but the cake was great. The couple is still married 42 years later.

Today was a little different. The groom looked a bit haggard, wearing sweatpants and a fleece shirt. The bride wore denim pants and a black sweatshirt. There was no The ceremony at maid of honor or best man. The ceremony at WalMart today at noon was noticed by no one except the two people who, after 42 years, are still in love, and the Father above saw it too and smiled.

The ceremony was occasioned by the loss of old wedding rings. Ella had enough prongs on her diamond solitaire loose or missing as to be afraid to wear it. I have lost so much weight that my ring fell off in the car.

Ella had been talking about getting a new ring for the past two years in white gold. We have gone so much to silver in our jewelry that the gold really doesn’t match too much anymore. We had just about decided to so something soon, but the ring she wanted was going to cost a lot, so we have been economically slowed.

But when my ring fell off, we knew we needed to do something. WalMart had a simple silver ring for a great price. And it came in a plethora of sizes. Since I am an 11 and she is a 7, that was a plus.

Today, we found the same style of ring in both our sizes and bought it. The lady asked if we wanted to wear them out or take them in a box. We decided to wear them.

After I had paid for them, we stepped away from the counter. I placed her ring on her finger and told her that I would love her forever. She placed mine on my hand and told me the same.

And hand in hand, me on foot and her in her scooter, with our new matching wedding rings, we moved off into the rest of the store.

But for a moment, we were the only people in the world and the light seemed to glow especially strongly around us.

No one noticed. No trumpets blared nor people doing that rhythmic clapping that I hate in restaurants. Nobody sang or made a speech. We didn’t go to Flagship Hotel in Galveston for a honeymoon. But we confirmed and affirmed that which has stood for 42 years: our undying love for each other.

For a moment, we were the center of the universe, standing before the throne of the Lord God Almighty, professing once again that age old promise: til death do us part. I will love her until I die and she wil love me until she dies.

We are ours. We are Us. Beside our marriage is nothing else. There is no axe capable of cleaving it, no desire greater than the one we have to hold each other strong and close, no blonde nor chiseled abs attractive enough to break it. Because after all, our love for each other is not only fueled by our own love for each other, but also our love for God and his for us.

Maybe another wedding renewal in 2055, our 84th? I will be 105 and she will be a youthful 103. We will probably need new rings by then. Maybe we can jet into WalMart in our flying car and buy some new rings.

Maybe not. But I will still love her and she me. That I know.