Through the Years - Faith, Hope, and Love - Family Traditions

 Good morning out there! This is the day the Lord has made let us be glad and rejoice! I pray that this post will be a blessing for whoever reads this story, and especially the young men who responded to a comment I made on Twitter yesterday.  I hope it helps other young adults who might have the same questions about marriage. I don't have very many people who follow me on Twitter so I always reply back when someone does take the time to comment.

This is how the dialogue went: A young lady asked the question - What advice can you give to a couple that wants to move in together?? I responded - Make a real commitment. Get engaged and pick a date for your wedding within the year. My husband and I will celebrate 40 years this June. And then I shared the link to this blog post below:

http://adoptedandblessed.blogspot.com/2023/02/through-years-marriage-mass-and-coffee.html?m=1

Not thinking anymore about my comment I went on about my day. Last night I clicked on Twitter and saw that I had some responses to the comment I had made. A young man replied - What's your secret to knowing this will work before making the real commitment??? I was surprised that someone had responded to my comment. I thought about it for a little while before I replied: I was 19 when I got married. I still remember our wedding vows. My husband and I wanted our marriage to be the forever kind of marriage. Life is hard. Our faith in God has held us together through life's journey. Respect, commitment, love, compassion, (and then I shared another blog post) His response was: Thank you for this. 

And then another young man replied: Your story inspired me, how do you navigate marriage turbulence...My response: Thank you. A few quick tips. Faith in God and understanding that your vows are not suggestions but guidance for your life together. Commitment, communication, respect, compassion, love, etc. I'll add some more posts about marriage later. And he responded with a kind comment.

I'm so thankful for their sincere questions. I pray that God will always guide me and give me the words that I need to share. This has touched my heart and helped me to realize to never give up, speak from my heart, and persevere. If I was worried about the number of followers I have on Twitter, I would have given up years ago. What matters to me - it's the one person I might actually help. 

Lead me, Lord.

I wrote the following post in May 2014 - before our 31st wedding anniversary. Many things have changed in the last nine years, our family has grown, and some of our journeys have been tough but God has been with us through it all. One thing has not changed - the most important - the title and story below, and lots of love...keep us together. (The story is below the picture)

 Peace and blessings to you and yours, near and far, wherever  you are! God bless you!

                                                

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Our Family Foundation - Our Faith in God

Good Morning out there! We have been blessed with so much rain the last couple of days! The lake levels are way up, and the ground is saturated, hooray! Thank You, Jesus!

My husband and I will be married 31 years next week! I think about all the things that have changed during our marriage, different jobs, different homes, all the different stages of our children's lives, and now we have 8 amazing grandchildren, Gifts from God! So many blessings, so much love, and I am so thankful!
The one thing that has stayed the same all of these years, is our Parish home, Sacred Heart Cathedral. This is where we've raised our children, this is where we grew as a family. Many wonderful memories are from when we were at Mass. Not only did we celebrate the joy of Baptisms, First Communions, Confirmations, and Weddings, we also mourned the death of many loved ones at Funeral Masses.
We didn't, and don't just attend Mass, we were, and are involved. My children became Altar Servers just as soon as they could. My husband has been an Usher for years, and I have been honored to serve as a Lector, a Commentator and humbled to serve as a Eucharistic Minister. Many times over the years I would be standing by the Ambo  waiting to Lector, and Jim would be standing at the back where the Ushers are, but I could always spot him in an instant. I remember one time he was in the balcony, and I looked up and saw him, my heart stopped for just a second and I just thought how blessed I was to be married to such a wonderful man. Even though we rarely sit together, we are together, a wave across the church, a smile, a feeling, we are always together.
We have seen many children grow up at Sacred Heart, from babies, to toddlers, then teens, then young adults. We have always enjoyed the holidays when many return home and attend Mass.
This past Sunday Evening in Mass, I was at the front, Jim was at the back, and young married couples with small children, and babies on the way were everywhere. So much new life! My heart was so full, so many of these couples I had known at least one of them since they were a small child, and now they have families of their own. Our children and grandchildren are at Mass with us most times, at Sacred Heart, our home.
Today I pray that each of you will be blessed with a home like ours, and that no matter where you sit or stand, you will always be together.


                                       You are God's chosen race, his saints;
                                        he loves you, and you should be clothed
                                       in sincere compassion, in kindness and
                                       humility, gentleness and patience.

                                       
                                        Bear with one another; forgive each other
                                        as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has
                                        forgiven you; now you must do the same.

                                        Over all these clothes, to keep them together
                                        and complete them, put on love.

                                        And may the peace of Christ reign in your
                                        hearts, because it is for this that you were
                                        called together as parts of one body.
                                        Always be thankful.

                                        Let the message of Christ, in all its richness,
                                        find a home with you. Teach each other, and advise
                                        each other, in all wisdom. With gratitude in your
                                        hearts sing psalms and hymns and inspired
                                        songs to God;

                                        and never say or do anything except in the name
                                        of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father
                                        through him.


                                                                 Colossians 3:12-17