REMINISCING

It's a special time for me as my beloved and I have just celebrated our wedding anniversary. At times like these we tend to think back on our lives together and remember the milestones.

This photo is a cover back when people listed to L.P.s (Long Playing records.) It was fun to record because our son who was studying violin at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music joined us and played a couple of duets with his dad. We included him as he would sometimes accompany us on our ministry trips.

We've retained this and now use it on a CD  with new original music I wrote some time later.

The photo was taken in our living room by the old pot bellied stove. We now live many miles away and this this old house is now the home and business of an estate agent. I guess because it's well placed on a busy street corner.

We constantly thank God for our marriage over these years. Like any marriage it's had it's 'ups and downs' but if there has ever been any discord between us, we never go to bed without getting things right and that includes saying "I'm sorry." We have learned to respect each others' differing opinions and act with courtesy (as you would with even a stranger.) And we have proved the old adage, "the family that prays together, stays together."

That's enough of my reminiscing for now, but as it was a special anniversary, I've enjoyed it. I really hope you, my dear reader, will try to remember to build up your own marriage relationship with love and care. It will always bless you in your own heart and soul. A joy filled marriage is close to the Lord's heart. 

Why don't you read I Corinthians chapter 13 in the Holy Bible for the true meaning of love.

SUPPORTIVE HUSBAND and CHILDREN

Sandra Orchard lives in a hundred year old
farmhouse in the Niagra region of Ontario, Canada with her children and  husband of twenty-five years.

From a young age she dreamed of being a writer so she took a writing course but never thought of pursuing publication. Then following her mom's
death, she discovered Christian fiction.

Reading about characters battling the same yearnings, frustrations and questions she battled, and overcoming them by God's grace, restored her hope and rekindled her passion for writing.

She says that when her husband suggested
she write her own stories little did he know where that off handed remark would lead.

Six years and several much revised novels later, I received my first contract. What a wonderful way to celebrate my graduation from home school teacher to full-time author.

I've had the privilege of working with many talented authors and aspiring writers and informants who have enriched my life with insights, suggestions, humor and prayers. Oh, yes, and chocolate!

My husband and children continue to be my most enthusiastic supporters and encouragers. My youngest daughter, a freelance writer and aspiring novelist herself, presents an understanding ear when 'writer's block' sets in. My eldest daughter types my handwritten pages. My son answers the "would a guy do this?" questions. And my dear husband is happy to stand in for my hero any time I need to get my descriptions just right.

I feel truly blessed to have a husband  and children so very supportive of all my dreams.

* Thank you Sandra for giving us some background of the family life of a full-time author.

BECAUSE I SAID FOREVER

The U-Haul truck parked in our driveway confirmed the
truth. My husband Randy was moving away. Not just across town or to a motel for a few nights, but to a rural community five hours away. The lump that kept rising in my throat gave way to sobs. We held each other and wept.


How could I say good-bye? This was my Randy--the sweet guy from Cincinnati who could run faster than a gazelle.


We couldn’t stand the thought of being apart after high school graduation, so we applied to the same schools. In spite of our parents’ concerns because we were young, we both decided on the same college in western Pennsylvania. Soon we were planning a wedding. 

We promised to love, honor, and cherish each other in sickness and in health, for better or for worse. We didn’t have any idea of what the future held or what love would require of us.

We didn’t have the maturity to understand what real love is—love that isn’t self-seeking, but looks out for the other’s needs first. Instead, our idea of love was framed by contemporary culture and a flimsy notion: Love means never having to say you’re sorry. We quickly learned we had to say sorry a lot. 

As I watched Randy drive away that night into the Seattle drizzle, it was all I could do to keep from running after him. This time I knew love wasn’t enough, at least the kind of love that doesn’t require the best in

someone or hold them accountable for their actions. I could no longer deny the severity of Randy’s drinking problem. After a succession of alcohol treatment programs, counselors, DUI’s, financial losses and trips to the detox unit at the hospital, I made some difficult decisions. I faced the harsh reality: Randy’s alcoholism wasn’t only destroying our marriage and our family. If he wasn’t able to stay sober, he would die.

“I love you,” I told him. “I love you too much to watch you destroy yourself by drinking. I am committed to you and our marriage forever. I will be here when you are ready to live with me without alcohol.” With every ounce of strength I could muster, I asked Randy to move out. And I meant it.

 

And so we began what turned out to be the longest season of our lives.

Then on a golden fall morning two years after we had said goodbye, Randy and I stood at the altar again. Friends from our new community filled the tiny log church we attended. Our grown sons, Chris and Jeremy, stood beside us as our best men. We promised to love, honor, and cherish each other in sickness and in health, for better or for worse. And this time, we knew beyond any doubt that God’s love in and through us would never fail. 

Deb Kalmbach is the coauthor of Because I Said Forever: Embracing Hope in a Not-So-Perfect Marriage and the author of a book for children, Corey’s Dad Drinks Too Much. She has also contributed to The New Women’s Devotional Bible and Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace. She speaks to women about the real hope we have in Christ for facing real life issues. Deb and her husband, Randy, have recently celebrated 40+ years of not-so-perfect marriage. They live in a tiny town in eastern Washington State. www.debkalmbach.com

Thank you so much for sharing with us Deb.    Follow me on Twitter:   @RitaSGalieh