25 years of marital love and commitment

The post below is from the book I had made for Laura and me for our 25th anniversary.  It has been slightly edited for this blog entry.  It is also not nearly expressive of what my beloved wife--as well as my best friend--has meant to me for all of these years.

I love you, Laura!  Happy anniversary, and may God grant us many, many more.

June 27, 1992.

June 27, 1992.
Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church,
in Appleton, Wisconsin.

       




          For one quarter of a century, God has graciously blessed us.  We were wed on June 27, 1992 at Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church in Appleton, Wisconsin.  Since then, we have lived briefly in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.  Then we moved to Jenera, Ohio were Tom served as a vicar under Pastor Alois ("Brownie" -- we still haven't called him that to his face) Schmitzer.  We moved to Grafton, Wisconsin where Tom completed his seminary training.  Then after Tom was assigned to be an instructor at West Lutheran High School in Hopkins, Minnesota (it has since moved to Plymouth, MN), we settled in an apartment in Eden Prairie.  Our second year there, we lived in a rented house in St. Louis Park.  Finally, Tom was reassigned through the Seminary to serve as a parish pastor at Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church in Novi, Michigan.  We moved here in July of 1996 and have been here ever since.

          In those 25 years, we were richly blessed with children.  Faith was born in St. Paul, MN.  Nathanael was born in St. Paul, MN.  Andrew was born in Livonia, MI.  Caleb was born in Livonia, MI.  Philip was born in Livonia, MI.  Peter was born in Livonia, MI.  We were also anticipating another, but on May 4, 2010, Isaac Christopher was still born.  His body awaits the resurrection at Glen Eden Cemetery in Livonia.

          25 years has not been without its bumps and bruises.  We have been parted from grandparents and friends by death, and we have bid farewell to friends whom we were thankful to have had in our lives, even if momentarily.

          Still, God has been good, and has been pleased to see to it that we still have had each other to lean on, to laugh together, to cry together, to celebrate the joyous moments with thanksgiving, and to pass through pain and hardship with prayer.

          We did not know where we would go when we were married 25 years ago.  We did not know how the Lord would bless us and what we would experience.  But we were committed to going through whatever it would be together.  We would not have had it any other way, and we would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

After 25 years, ths is what the Lord has turned us into.
December 25, 2016.  It is getting harder and harder to get us all together in one place.

Summer 2017, celebrating 25 years together.