It was a beautiful fall day to spend time together reflecting on the life we are building together, and also look forward to the good things the future holds.
Debbie and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary on Sept. 25. We started the day with our oldest nephew who stopped by and took us garage sale hunting in the Lynnville and Sully areas. I hit the jackpot at a tag sale south of Sully where I found several albums of postcards. I sent Debbie and our nephew on to look at other garage sales while I looked through all the postcard albums. I purchased some nice postcards to add to my collection. We probably stopped at 15 garage sales before wrapping up the day just before noon. I found an Iowa salt and pepper shaker set, some three-ring binders for my postcards and an old yard fertilizer spreader. It is a steel one, not the cheap plastic model. Our nephew found some Christmas wrapping paper and a stop at the Lynnville Public Library netted Debbie a sack full of books and DVDs. While there, I promoted Debbie’s two romantic suspense novels to the librarian for the library collection. Many times I am at work on our anniversary and my birthday, which was Sept. 26, so it was nice to enjoy the weekend together celebrating. We didn’t go dancing or eat at a fancy restaurant. We opted instead to enjoy pizza and salad. I did buy Debbie 17 happy anniversary cookies at Hy-Vee for our anniversary. Life has a way of keeping people busy and on the go. The one thing I’ve learned in having a successful marriage is spending time together and doing things together. I think a lot of relationships would be better off if couples and families spent more time with each other doing simple things. I remember years ago with my family. Every Friday night my dad or I would stop at the Wagon Wheel drive in on north Sheridan in Tulsa for cheeseburgers and fries. We’d carry them home and eat as a family while watching the Dukes of Hazard and Dallas. That had a big impact on my life. So did going to church together and taking family vacations each year. I’m by far not an expert in the art of marriage, but I know when you pay attention to each other and listen, a skill I’m still working on, it makes for a peaceful household. Here are few marriage tips from the J.O. files: Stay home at least one evening each week and cook a meal and sit down as family or couple and enjoy it. Pray for each other every day. When you mess up or miss it, fess up, apologize and ask for forgiveness. We all fall short in life. Send texts to each other throughout the day to check in and see if they need anything. I always text Debbie when I get to work and call on my break and lunch period when possible. Once a month or so, do something the other person wants. It can be anything from an everyday task, helping around the house or taking a road trip to go antiquing, shopping or eating out. Pool your money and do something nice for a neighbor or friend. Giving a $50 gift card to someone in need will go a long ways to help someone who needs gas money or food. Plus, it’s to help others with no strings attached. Most importantly, support and encourage each other to follow their dreams. Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day and always.
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