Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in His hand
Who saith “A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!”
– from Rabbi Ben Ezra by Robert Browning
I discovered my first wrinkles this year. I actually don’t know how long they’ve been there; it could have been years. After a long time of wearing exclusively glasses, I made the plunge and switched to contacts. The contacts let me see my face in so much greater detail. So there they are. Wrinkles. Several on my forehead and around my eyes.
The discovery of wrinkles has been a mixed bag for me. At first I felt shocked. Should I wear makeup now? Next I was excited. I’ve looked forward to age in many ways (hoping it might grant me additional maturity : ) And then I was sad. Some days when life is so good, there are reminders that it’s short. Even 80 years is short.
One of my favorite parts of a wedding is watching the couples dance who have been married for decades. That’s what marriage is all about – the long haul – through years of laughter and pain, abiding joy and struggle. And wrinkles.
I know there are no promises that we will live on this earth long enough to slow dance when our bodies are covered with creases and our bones are brittle. I dream of a day when we dance at the wedding of a grandson or granddaughter. But whether or not that day ever comes, I cherish our marriage. I cherish these 9 years since I said, “I do.”
The journey is beautiful, and you and the children are my greatest earthly treasures.
Happy 9th Anniversary!
Love,
your slightly wrinkled wife, Christina
no comments