God is Good

Sunday was Jenelle and my twenty-third anniversary! Twenty three years! Wow! Where did the time go? I'd like to say that to celebrate we flew to Hawaii for a five day getaway but we didn't. In fact we didn't really celebrate, at least not yet. It was a busy weekend with helping out with our homeschool group camp on Friday and then going with the youth group on Saturday to Teen Quest Ranch. Oh, we had fun alright, but we didn't really focus on us. On Sunday afternoon we did go for a little paddle down on the Savage, and then later that evening we did some planning for our family canoe trip that's coming up way too quickly! Sometimes time spent together is better than celebrating time gone by anyways. Time does seem to fly no matter whether you celebrate it or not.

For the most part, those twenty-three years have been good, but like every marriage, ours has had its squabbles too. And even after twenty-three years we still find the need to give each other lots of grace. Funny how those things that at first attracted us to each other become annoyances. But through those annoyances, we've gotten to know each other better. The good times and good memories would definitely outweigh the tough times by a long shot if we could only figure out how to measure. But it's never good to keep score in a marriage, and so we don't. We're in it for the long haul.

Even though those annoyances can be, well, down right annoying, often the good in them still shines through.

I like to dream big and then start chasing that dream. I like to listen to other people sharing their dreams too and so it's easy for me to lose track of time and get off track. Often the dream contains an element of do-it-yourself or building something because it's too expensive to buy. Chasing after those dreams has helped me to become a jack-of-all-trades. The bad side is that it's not rare for me to give up before the dream comes into fruition. Sometimes it's because I found a new dream to chase. Often it's because I bit off more than I could chew. When a dream doesn't happen, it's usually ok. I guess that I'm used to it. But if the dreams never happen, especially if others are involved, it's easy for me to feel like a failure. I just hate letting anyone down. But in general I tend to be laid back, and when things don't go to plan, I often play the role of assuring everyone that everything will be ok.

Jenelle, on the other hand, is the master of organization. Totes, calendars, weekly menus and a shiny and clean house. When she starts it, she finishes it. She has her world organized to a tee. 

The downside of that is when something doesn't go exactly to plan or when something new gets thrown in the mix, or when I don't get home when I say I will, she isn't happy.

Sometimes our worlds clash. But often they shine. Often they compliment each other. It's like God knew what he was doing when he put us together. Kinda like he was painting a picture. Planning for our canoe trip up into Ontario exemplifies that.

Jenelle and I are sitting at the table. She's writing out a list as we figure out the meals for each day. I'm thinking about what I need to do to the car, what work the canoes need. I'm imagining how fun it will be to catch a couple of lake trout or a brookie. I'm wondering how deep the lakes are and what lures to use? Do I have what I need in my tackle box? What about the canoe rack on the car? Then I start thinking about building another canoe. Sometimes it's so hard for me to focus. Jenelle draws me back to the task at hand. 

I would have a rough time doing this trip without her, especially with all the advance planning that needed to be done. She probably wouldn't be doing it without me either, not that she couldn't, she just wouldn't. We have the route figured out, a list of food that we need, a time to leave and a time to get back. 

Two of our kids will be leaving the nest this fall. Getting everyone together for trips like this will only become more difficult. We thought it would be good to squeeze in a family trip somewhere this summer. Aiyana suggested another canoe trip and so we're doing it. I think she inherited a little bit of who she is from both of us.

Looking back over these twenty-three years I can only say that God has been good. The mystery of marriage and how he brought Jenelle and I together, and how we compliment each other is just that, a mystery. They say that for a marriage to flourish, it takes two. But I'm not convinced. I'm pretty sure it takes three!