the hands of time - revised ... for such a time as this

Just revisiting & revising this entry I posted over three years ago (April, 2009) because I have no idea where the time has gone, but it s-u-r-e has a way of changing things ...

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Distant Past

(In the previous edition this was simply "Past")

This is one of my all time favorite pictures.

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Recent Past

 (Previously this was "Present")

This is a card David made with help from his parents and gave to Alexis for her 15th birthday. The first time I posted this back in 2009 was the first time David was mentioned here on my blog as Alexis' boyfriend. I cut, pasted and polished up a bit below some of what I shared back then in regards to this photo:

As I'm traveling back & forth thru' time this morning, I can't help but remember that I was 15 when I met my best friend ever/the man I would marry and while I'm in no rush(!), I can't help but wonder if/when daddy and daughter eventually walk hand in hand down the aisle, whose hand will he give hers to in marriage. And I realize that from this day forward...I should be praying - for him. So please excuse me while I go do that - now.

Now fast forward to what has transpired (in what seems to be no time at all - but in reality has been three more years in the making) into the ...

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Present

and sure enough

... while David and Alexis were celebrating his birthday just this past weekend, David asked Alexis for her hand in marriage. A picture speaks a thousand words so click on the photo above if you'd like to link to their sweet engagement story. There is something though that one might not realize unless someone with access to the inside story told them :) That being how beautifully this precious stone reflects the sparkle in Alexis' beautiful blue eyes when she and David are together. It's simply stunning. 

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  And as to the 

Future

Well, it's all becoming much clearer now but ...

 still

 so 

 much 

 remains 

 to be

  seen

It's been said though, something to the effect that the past is always re-viewed with 20/20 vision. And with the advantage that 26 years of hindsight affords my husband and I, even we still can't help but wonder what our life together might have been like if we'd done some things differently in the beginning. I was 15 when we met. He was 22 and I was just barely 18 on our wedding day. When I look at our wedding photo I see two kids(!) making a lifetime commitment.

Fast forward 

to 

Here

 & 

Now

There is no doubt we've made some sacrifices doing things "our way" - but isn't sacrifice at the heart of true love?!

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.

 I Corinthians 13:4-8a

And what if we grew up first instead of growing up together? The only possible advantages I can see to that are that we might have always had more than enough money & maybe we would have made less mistakes. There are certainly some things we'd go back and do differently if we could, but within them is where we did so much growing up together. 

We've always had enough 
of everything but time together.

And knowing now

what I didn't know then, 

 I'd marry the same man

over and over and over again 

in. a. second.

And in growing up together Jeff and I learned so much we couldn't have possibly understood nearly as well any other way, and were therefore able to gently (& sometimes not so gently) guide and encourage this delightful young couple toward becoming much more mature in ways that we were not, ...

for such a time as this.


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