**this post was originally written 2 years go. I edited it for the 32 year edition
Today, June 2nd, is my parents' 32nd anniversary. 32 years. 32 great, wonderful, long, crazy, hectic, unpredictable, loving years. They have had 6 kids, 2 dogs, lived in 2 different countries, 3 different states, and 12 houses these past 32 years. They have 4 grandchildren, 3 on the way, 2 daughter in-laws, 2 sons in-law, have had 4 foster children, and countless church families and friends around the globe.
Everyone loves my parents. Including their kids. All us kids would agree that while we were raised in unconventional environments, we couldn't have asked for better parents and role-models. Our family can laugh, cry, play games, sing songs, talk politics, quote movies, tell stories, and share our lives together all at the dinner table. We all have our seats we've had for years, with Dad at one end, Mom at the other. Dinner doesn't start until Dad prays, and doesn't end until we say "Thanks for the food Mom, it was delicious" :)
We always knew that our parents loved us, and loved each other. They weren't shy in showing it, even when we said "ewwwwww you're kissing!!"
It's strange, as kids, to think of your parents meeting, dating, falling in love, and basically acting like real humans...surely that wasn't the case, was it?
I present to you Tom and Linda, circa 1977-1978:
That last picture is in front of their first house, with the only gun they ever owned. Mom almost shot their pastor one day, but that's neither here nor there...
I wish I could post pictures of them together during these last 32 years, but I don't have them with me, and honestly, I came to realize, I don't have many of them together by themselves. We have so many family pictures and goofy pictures and sports pictures, but I realized I need to take more pictures of them together, like they've always been.
Mom has been a beautiful example of what a loving and Godly wife looks like. I'm proud to have married Sarah who shows many of the same traits. Mom taught me literally everything I know, put up with me when I was a 2 year old brat, and was a wonderful mother to me and all of her kids.
Dad is what every man should strive to be, and what every woman should look for. His example as a husband and a father has made me who I am, and is continuing to do so. Dad taught me how to catch a baseball, make a bounce pass, and throw a football. More importantly, through his example, he showed me how to love the Lord, treat a woman, and what marriage looks like.
So here's to Tom and Linda, aka Mom and Dad. 32 years of love and marriage, still going strong. God has truly blessed you, me, and our family and friends as we are witnesses to something beautiful. In a time where marriage is treated lightly, here is one couple who is a beacon of light for all to see. I love you both.