This is the week leading up to Valentine's Day and Dennis' and my sixth wedding anniversary.
The theme of our wedding was JOY.
Joy in the Lord.
Joy in each other.
Joy in every day we're given.
I think that's why this photo from our wedding is my favorite. When I look at the two of us dancing I relive the pure joy of beginning life as a couple.
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| February 14, 2010 - Fawnbrook Inn, Allenspark, Colorado |
There have been days when that joy has been threatened. Remarrying at our age comes with a whole different set of challenges than did the marriages of our youth.
I've found that there is great benefit to having history as a couple. Thirty-six years of marriage made for a lot of history with my late husband, which translated into greater understanding
of him
of me
of us.
Six years into my marriage to Dennis I'm still learning how to appreciate our differences, to accept them as an opportunity to grow as a person; to become more of the woman God designed me to be.
Embracing the green chair has been part of my education.
What in the world is she talking about?
That's probably what you're thinking right now, so let me explain.
Last summer, just before we moved into our new cottage, we spent a day in Pendleton, Oregon browsing through antique and vintage shops. Dennis discovered a green wing back chair without a price tag and asked the shopkeeper about it. She had just received it on consignment and planned to list it for sale once it was "cleaned up". However, if we were interested, she'd make us a deal. Dennis sat in the chair and immediately decided he wanted it if the price was right. It was. The shopkeeper offered to sell it "as is" for $35, and we bought the chair.
It was a great buy; a very good quality chair, made in North Carolina and sold in high-end retail shops. A professional woman in Portland (a friend of the shopkeeper) had owned the chair and it was in exceptional condition.
I wasn't crazy about the outdated upholstery, but reasoned I could always have it reupholstered, or use a slipcover.
Except that's not what happened. Dennis liked the upholstery. He liked the emerald green color. He liked the variegated gold trellis pattern. And he wasn't at all anxious to change it. He never told me I couldn't change it, but a wife knows when her husband really isn't onboard. It's part of that history thing.
One day my friend Mary stopped by for coffee. I showed her the chair and shared my feelings about the upholstery.
She smiled sweetly and said, "I think you should embrace the chair. It's pretty and you can work it into your decor."
And so I did.
This photo was taken in the fall.
I'm thinking about making some changes for spring. New fabrics for the stool, sofa cushion and pillow covers. Something softer. Pastels maybe.
Whatever I choose I'll make it work with the emerald green chair and its variegated gold trellis. Because that's my husband's chair and he's happy with it. And because I love my husband I'm embracing the green chair.
Honestly, it's grown on me. The chair is now part of our history as a couple. It represents to me the acceptance and appreciation of the differences between my husband and myself. It represents honoring my husband, showing him respect and feathering our nest in a way that pleases both of us. . .
not just me.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not
easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. . ." 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (Read at our marriage ceremony by a dear friend.)
