50 Years

When I was young, I dreamed of marrying and having children.  Five children, I thought, would be just right.  I planned how I would care for them, teach them, love them.  Raising my family of five children (as I imagined I would have), took lots of effort, thought and prayer.  But I gave no thought at all about parenting them when they were grown.  Being a grandmother never entered my thoughts or plans either.  I suppose I somehow thought I would never be that old.  But here I am, with adult children and 23 grandchildren!  Somehow it just happened.

I mention all this hindsight because yesterday was our Golden Anniversary.  Layne and I have been married for 50 years!  I didn't even plan on being 50 years old.  Wow.  Time passes without our noticing; without out permission.  Suddenly, it seems, we have arrived at this milestone.  It seems but a whisper of time has passed since I first decided to marry Layne and we began our life together.  The passing of the years has brought undeniable changes in just about every aspect of our lives.  But I still love my husband.  In fact, I love him much more now than at the beginning of our relationship.  Love is a leap of faith when we are young and deciding to take the love plunge.  But time either waters it or starves it.  Our love, happily, has been watered.  

My sister, knowing that no family was here to celebrate with, offered to come and help us celebrate.  So she and husband, Bob, came on Thursday and stayed until Saturday.  We had a lovely visit and they treated us to dinner as their anniversary gift.  Maryanne is much more sparkly since her brain surgeries.  She moves better and is less weary.  It was good to spend time with them at our place instead of my usual visit to their home in Draper.  I feel blessed by their care of us.  Family is so nice to have!

We spent our anniversary talking, telling Bob and Maryanne goodbye and having dinner with our neighbors, Jim and Ines Wilkey.  They are also celebrating their 50th this year.  It was lovely, but not particularly special as a Saturday celebration.  But I plan to celebrate all year!

I feel inclined, just for fun, to share what happens when Isaiah gets ahold of my iphone.  He's in the MTC now, but last week he was at his mischievous best.  This picture is one of a series of interesting poses.