Kathy has a plaque hanging in our kitchen that says "All because two people fell in love..." This morning as I was praying, and pacing back and forth in our living room, I looked at several framed photos that we have on top of our piano. I have seen these photos hundreds of time, but this time I was overwhelmed with a tremendous sense of gratitude and thankfulness, to God, for the people in those photos. The groupings in the photos are of each of our married children, their spouses, and children. One son a university professor, another son a missionary in Europe and a daughter who is a children's pastor in Oregon. Each of them finding the perfect life-mate that God had set aside for them. In each case, their spouses complementing and helping each of our children achieve all that God has designed for them. I'm not sure there are seven more talented, intelligent and cuter grand kids in the world. If there are, I haven't seen them. When you add our three adopted children that we are still raising, there are eighteen of us.
Kathy and I have a running joke between us. Before we were married, we discussed the number of children we would like to have. I wanted two, she wanted four, so we comprised at six. :) I'm not totally sure how that happened, but this morning, as I thanked God for so many blessings He has granted us in our marriage, I was overwhelmed at these sixteen blessings that I saw in front of me. Parents, you know that raising children is not easy. There are many challenges, heartbreaks and disappointments. But there are great high points in celebrating achievements and successes. Overriding all of our experience in raising children is the tremendous love that God puts in our hearts for them. We have been raising children for thirty six years. I'm not sure we'll ever have an empty nest...but I wouldn't trade the experience for anything else. So today, I am an especially thankful, and blessed, father and husband...all because two people fell in love.
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