Love

This weekend we celebrated my parents 40th wedding anniversary. What an accomplishment! I am so thankful to the two of them...because they taught me about love. Love for one another and love for Jesus. Words cannot express how much they have given me. I wrote them a letter and read it to them at their surprise party... most of it may not make sense to an outsider but feel free to read! Oh and p.s. Dad will be turning 80 in 2 weeks so we incorporated that also.

Well surprise!
You both are so important to each one of us here today. We are here to celebrate your marriage of 40 years and Dad’s 80th birthday.
It’s hard to believe that over 40 years ago tomorrow your two lives were joined as one. I bet the two of you never realized then exactly how many people’s lives you were going to touch in these 40 years. Because of you both…all of our lives are connected as one. We may not all be family by blood but we are all family by the ties that you two have bound. Each of us have our own special memories of all the things we have done, the laughs we have had, and the tears that we have shared. We have all felt the joy of a new arrival and the tears and sadness of our family and friends who have gone home Heaven to wait for us. Many times we never take time to celebrate what is really important but that is what this celebration is about. You are so many things……..you are…first….a daughter or a son…a sister or a brother…an aunt or an uncle…a mother and a father…..a grandma and a grandpa….a great grandma and great grandpa….a friend and a prayer warrior for all those around you. You see you two are all these things and so much more. But out of all the things that you are…the most important is that you are LOVED.
Dad, its hard to believe that towards the end of this month you will be turning 80 years old. What an accomplishment! You have seen and been through so many things in these 80 years. More than many of us will ever see or do. Lets do a very brief recap…shall we?
In an effort to get our family out in the great outdoors…..we went on our first initial camping trip to Camp Swatara and the first thing you did was sprain your ankle by stepping in a gopher hole as we walked around the lake. But have no fear that didn’t stop us each and everytime we went something else happened…like the camper flooded, we were stalked by a mallard duck…you never put the wheel on the hitch up before we left the campground…everyone heard us leaving that day… That must be why we started camping with the Shompers…we needed somebody to keep us in line….
You kept your nieces (when they were young whipper snappers) on the up and up while they were in the back of your car on the way up to the cabin. Uh hmmm…Enough said.
You know how to really sport some really cool head gear…we’ll see more on that a little later
You were able to fly through a locked screen door when running to a fire call when you ran with the fire department.
You really got in touch with your “nature “ side last year when you told the guy in lowes that your lawn mower …um…looks like a ……you know a butterfly. He may have looked at you like you were crazy…but we all know better.
No one else on earth knows how to announce your arrival to Shady Maple Camp any louder or clearer than when you set off the alarm system that echos throughout the entire mountain range.
You really are a quick learner….I mean mom shouldn’t have to wrap you up in the vacuum cleaner cord and trip you ever again.
On a more sentimental note…you are the best pinochle partner a gal could ever have… J. And yes we do have to let them win sometimes or they get cranky.
Well you know what they say…birds of a feather flock together….
Cause mom …look at all you have seen and done in the last 40 years that you have been together….
You like to trip a lot…not like a vacation…like to trip. Umm like tripping and stumbling in the door of the dollar general store while you were with Sara years ago….skinning both your knees while walking down the street with me when I was like 8 years old…oh an don’t forget tripping on my back deck and flailing around like a turtle on its shell that can’t get up.
You have a vocabulary all your own….. do …tock of flurkeys or cheese putzes ring a bell?
You are the only person I know who would go through the Burger King drive thru and order a Frosty and then back all the way out of the drive thru because the lady on the intercom was kind enough to tell you ”Ma’am we don’t have Frosty’s”. I bet she is still wondering where you got to cause you never came through the line…….
Some here today may say you are an instigator. I am not sure where they would get that idea…I am sure it would have nothing to do with …..
***you scaring the pants off aunt joan years ago when you two were on the Mississippi Queen….”Hey Lady” has gotten a lot of usage since then.
Or lets see…I am sure you never have run up to anyone in our family and yelled “touched you last” and then quickly darted the other way.
All kidding aside…..
We want you both to know that you are treasured. For the little things as well as the big things. I personally want to thank the both of you, now, for the sacrifices you made for me. I know I never may have come out and thanked you…but know , they have never go unnoticed, and unappreciated. Thank you for providing a home with a roof over my head and food on the table. Thank you for bandaging me up when I had bumps and bruises, thank you for praying me home on the nights that I would be out boots scootin’ till all hours of the night, thank you for just being there and holding mine and Shannons hand in a hospital room on Thanksgiving Day 6 years ago.

God is so good…for he has blessed our whole family with you both in our lives. No words could ever truly convey how grateful we are to you for the precious times, the precious memories and the love and prayers that you have showered all of us with.
I have a picture that says Home is where your story begins and its so true…because for me Home began with the two of you.

All my love, Julie