Thursday, May 19, 2016

Sweeter as the years go by- our 50th anniversary trip


There she is, my sweetheart of fifty plus years counting the courtship days back at Moody. This was our first night in Banff, Canada at a local restaurant. I asked the host for the best seat in the house so they seated us by the big fireplace. It snowed that night so the fireplace was welcome.

To celebrate our anniversary, Mary preferred a road trip together over a reception and social event. So, we chose to chalk off a few of the places we wanted to visit that were on our "bucket lists." Eight days and almost 3,000 miles (all but about 200 were not on Interstate Freeways).

Driving through Banff and Jasper National Parks in Canada, we enjoyed the beauty and wildlife (not what younger people do after dark in the taverns) but bears, mountain goats, Big Horn sheep, moose and wolves. The beauty of the mountains, mile after mile, almost became overwhelming.



After the Canadian Rockies we drove through Glacier National Park in Montana and attended church in Kalispell where we met a great group of brothers and sisters we had never met before but anticipate sharing eternity with them.

Whenever we had the choice, we chose the alternate routes through ranch country in Montana and Idaho while working our way to Clarkston, WA. The route to Enterprise, OR. and the Wallowa Mountains was spectacular! Of course Joseph and Wallowa Lake were memorable. But, a highlight was driving up the steep dirt road above Imnaha, OR. toward Hell's Canyon. The views down into the valleys were spectacular including a four by four point bull elk staring back at us. We went as far as possible until the snow blocked the road.

By the way, if you have never enjoyed a cheeseburger at the general store and tavern in Imnaha, it is a five star event. Rattlesnake skins are stretched out and drying on the bar counter. It was the only place in town where you can buy a cup of coffee for 35 cents- it was the only place in town to be honest. After the muddy road above Imnaha, we arrived home with the pick up truck covered with mud.

So what impressed me most on the trip?

As great as the majestic scenery was, I was most impacted by the reminder that Christian marriage is a wonderful gift from God. Choosing the right woman and living one day at a time through thick and thin is rewarding. The great river of love may seem silent at our age, but it is powerful and very rewarding.

So if there is a moral to this story, let it be this: Hang in there. Keep those vows. Invest in the relationship. Give more than you seek to receive and the reward is worth it all. Love becomes sweeter as the years go by.

I know because I have been there.

By the way, isn't that lady in the pictures beautiful!

4 comments:

  1. Syd you got a beautiful wife, and 50 years. YAHOO. Enjoy the trip.

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  2. Ahhh, that was wonderful and lovely and exciting. Thank you, for sharing your trip, and also for reminding us of the rewards of the steadfastness of a loving relationship. We are coming up on forty years and it's amazing to realize that all the things we thought so important to struggle over when we were young, really were not that important after all. Being together, facing the world together, sometimes facing solitude together, well all of that is what's important. It really is. May God continue to bless you and Mary, and your family, Syd. We love you!

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  3. There are day's to remember, there are day's to celebrate but being blessed by God the right wife in life to spend them with there is great love than this. God is good Amen! Also, you just may have met my uncle in Kalispell at church what a wonder that would be.In a week, we will be off to Fresno heat 101. God bless Brother!

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