40 Years of Marriage
Celebrating the Journey...
40 years has gone quickly and we look back with joy. Our children and spouses offered to organize the celebration and did so magnificently! We're overwhelmed.
The Celebration: We chose a summer day in order to enjoy the outdoors (avoiding the busy Christmas season). July 30 dawned beautifully, over 100 family and friends gathered in our back yard, each of our children and their spouses spoke briefly on an aspect of our lives, expressed by a symbolic gift:
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an olive tree to represent our fruitful vine (Psalm 128:3)
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two coffee mugs to represent the high value of hospitality in our marriage
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a birthday calendar made up of pictures of our children and grandchildren to speak of the gift of family
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tickets for date to Bard on the Beach (Romeo and Juliet) with dinner for a special evening together, a weekly date being one of our core values
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an infographic (also at table settings) representing God's grace in our 40 years together.
We were blessed by their kind tributes: Chris (speech, photo) and Julie (speech, photo), Ben (speech, photo) and Amber (speech, photo), Matt (speech, photo) and Chantalle (speech, photo), Melanie (speech, photo) and Ryan (speech, photo) , Jordan (speech, photo) and Kaylee (speech, photo).
There was music, abundance of good food and reconnection with many friends. Here are a few images (click to enlarge)...
 100+ guests on a beautiful day... |
 ...around tables in our back yard |
 ...including speeches and symbolic gifts from our children's spouses |
Our children also played, to our great delight, several songs so meaningful to us - including an expression of our thanks to the God of All Grace as expressed by Andre Crouch (My Tribute - text here), truths ever more rich and beautiful as when performed at our wedding so many years ago!
 Music from our kids ... |
 ... Ryan and Mel prepared a slideshow overview of our journey! (See background of photo; to download full slideshow - click here.) |
 ... Music from Ken White and the "B#s" |
Sometimes our hearts are full, our eyes brimming and our mouths can say little but thank you! Thank you Father, Son and Holy Spirit, thank you Carol, thank you to our children, their spouses, thank you to family and friends who have stood with us, encouraged us, enriched our lives and journeyed with us. We distributed also a resource to help others point friends to the Source of it all! (Click here; link works only in "Firefox" browser)
Marriage is a journey for a purpose and with a destination. The purpose of our marriages is to reflect Christ's love (Eph 5) and to serve God's purposes with the gifts and strengths each is given for the common good. The destination is restoration to the paradise from which the world has fallen, to love God and enjoy Him forever.
We are on the way. We've not yet arrived but we are closer than when we began. For this we praise the Lord!
Wherever you are in your journey be encouraged, persevere, renew your focus and perhaps your vows. (For some of our learnings in the journey please click here.)
By God's grace the best is yet to come.
Murray Moerman (
