Thirty years the journey…..
Celebrating the journey
we began in a rose garden
30 years ago today.
This photo, my dad and I
right before he walked me down the garden path
to the mister I still love and do life with today
…….30 things I love about that:
~his beautiful hands and kind, firm touch,
~his quiet way,
~how when he laughs, really laughs, it’s music,
like my grandpa’s was,
~his loving fierceness for protecting our children,
~the compassion that rises up and takes him over
when he senses genuine need.
~that he keeps learning, keeps growing, keeps opening to change,
even when it challenges and chills him,
~that he notices nature with childlike eyes
…our shared love for wildlife and aliveness
was how we fell in love,
~that he still surprises me,
~the way he cares for my car,
~that he takes life’s hits and keeps moving forward,
~how he wouldn’t quit on us and wouldn’t let me quit, either
…the peacefulness that’s come
~the way his eyes smile to me in a crowd,
~the feel of his hand on the small of my back,
~the iron sharpening iron way he challenges me
with his oh-so-different-from-me-ness,
~the happy squeeze in my belly when we ride the same wave,
~the way he’s learned to be free about me being me.
~how we’ve learned to fight hard and often and well,
~the way his straight lines sometimes bend to blend with my wavy ones,
~the way he lives his own truth and keeps it real,
~his calm courage when I lose it and come undone,
~his humility when I’m the braver one,
~that his heart is tender,
~his prayers are real,
~his love is faithful,
~his art is forgiveness,
~and his story is strong.
~the way he loves his mama, feels his music, and lives out his love
for me real and raw and true,
~the way we’re creating simple in a hard, chaotic world,
~that our journey becomes more of an adventure every day
and growing still is the freedom to do life together
with each of us more free to be just exactly who we are,
and celebrated individually.
“Let there be spaces in your togetherness,
and let the winds of heaven dance between you.
Love one another but make not a bond of love.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each of you be alone,
even though the strings of the lute are alone but they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each others keeping,
for only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together, yet not too near together: for the pillars of the temple stand apart.
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each others shadow.”
-Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
Such a beautiful tribute. I have no doubt that he would say very similar things about your beautiful self.
Congratulations sweet girl….WOW your words are beautiful; so sweet and tender and heartfelt. You are just as beautiful today as you were standing in the rose garden on your special day…..
Happy, Happy Anniversary to you both!
Happy anniversary! Would you believe tomorrow is our 31st? And I had actually been thinking of using that Gibran quote myself. Great minds… 🙂
Oh I adore The Prophet and especially this passage…it is how my marriage is…
‘that our journey becomes more of an adventure every day
and growing still is the freedom to do this life together,
each of us more free to be just exactly who we are,
and celebrated individually.’
your words are a mirror to Gibran’s deeper meaning….wishing you a very Happy Anniversary.
Oh I adore The Prophet and especially this passage…it is how my marriage is…
‘that our journey becomes more of an adventure every day
and growing still is the freedom to do this life together,
each of us more free to be just exactly who we are,
and celebrated individually.’
your words are a mirror to Gibran’s deeper meaning….wishing you a very Happy Anniversary.
Oh! Happy 30th anniversary to you! My husband and I celebrated our 30th this year, too!! I have been away from computer for most of three days, so am catching up! Your wedding photo is lovely…
Best Wishes for a wonderful Anniversary Celebration to both of you Jennifer. Such beautiful words to show the tremendous love that you have for this amazing man. I love how you both can be exactly who you are and be celebrated individually within your marriage. So much freedom within a loving relationship. Congratulations. Wishing you both many more happy, loving and rewarding years together. xoxo
PS Stunning bride… and your Dad looked like a young man. Beautiful!
Happy anniversary!
Sending you loving thoughts and blessings for this fabulous celebration…
I sure love the way your Dad is looking at you and the amazing look on your face that looks like an inward joy and contentment! 🙂
happy anniversary dearheart + i love seeing the love surrounding you, beginning before + before xoxo
Happy anniversary sweety!! You look stunning in that picture (I guess you still do.)
So wonderful. 🙂
Lindsay
I think you love and feel about your Mister the way I feel about about mine. Your guy sounds absolutely fabulous — all the good things and even the challenges seem so positive. I love that you are who you are and he is who he is — and that’s OK with both of you. You were a beautiful bride — and you still are a beautiful woman all these years later.
Happiest anniversary, my friend. And thirty more.
Happy Anniversary to both of you.
What a powerful tribute to your Prince Charming. I love your wedding picture. You look so sweet.
Hugs,
JB
congratulations…that’s an amazingly long journey, and your love just shines through your words! so beautiful!!
Oh, Jennifer this is wonderful. It’s our 14th anniversary today and I look to you and your post as inspiration for the journey ahead, knowing that the deeper the journey, the deeper the love.
Don’t tell Rob, but I’m going to use your masterpiece next year for our 26th anniversary! So please have this copywrited! I’m hearing violins in the background as you celebrate this special time. Oceans of blessings to you and your husband.
What a beautiful tribute! I loved seeing the photos–so real. Congratulations on a love worth celebrating. I loved that you began your poem with your love’s hands because I would do the same. The strength gentleness kindness reality of hands….I dream of them sometimes. It says volumes. Blessings to you and your guy.