Celebrating an anniversary

When one gets older and the mind and body betrays you in a mammoth manner, your mind can still meander through the maze of memories recalling fond, beloved, magical moments that laid a foundation for coping with the mechanics of darker days that you will surely face.

Today is a milestone day.

Today marks 62 years since my husband and I exchanged our wedding vows in the old beautiful church that was Southside Baptist in Wilmington, North Carolina. The church is long gone - torn asunder by the ravages of age, deteriorating neighborhood, and congregational move to other locales. The church was a beautiful place to see as well in which one could worship God. The sanctuary was somewhat circular with the floor sloping downward toward the altar area. The pews were curved to allow the circular concept and allow for better visual of the front of the church. There was a pipe organ. The pews were solid mahogany. There were stunning stained glass windows through which the sunlight filtered.  It was beautiful.

And it was the location of our simple, yet lovely 1957s wedding.

But before the wedding there were some splendid moments of courtship, getting acquainted, having fun. These included a number of fun outings. My groom-to-be  was a student at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and I was in high school in Wilmington. During our months of dating or courting, he traveled frequently the two-lane roads from Chapel Hill to Wilmington. Exciting.

We attended a couple dances and he was such a splendid date. So handsome. Stunning. And a very classy, classic gentleman.

Then he asked, and I said, "Yes." The diamond was gorgeous. We began planning.

Then the day arrived. We walked the aisle of Southside  Baptist Church. We said our vows.

We went back to my home and changed our clothes. Then the escape began. We were showered with rice and send on our way to begin our journey.

A journey of years that were joyful, heavy, filled with excitement, filled with the stress of managing a budget, raising a family, providing food, providing an education and medical care for our quiver full of children. So fruitful. So special.

He has been my strong provider. My protector. My guide. My children's father. My sweetheart. All of these years and he has been a faithful husband, a good father, a respected member of his places of employment, and a leader in our church through the years.

And together we have had such great preparation for the twilight years that lay ahead of us.

Twilight that is now upon us and a darkness that encroaches. But it is a darkness that can not be surpassed. No. We have a light to guide us. A source of strength that overcomes and outweighs any twilight, dimming, darkness that threatens to engulf us.

We have Christ. The Christ of God. The Saviour. Our Saviour.

So we won't picture the aging features. We won't show the broken, bent body. We won't show the wrinkles and declining eyesight. We show the beginning. We anticipate the end with our Savior who gives a new, unbroken body. A body of strength that endures forever and an eternity.

So we celebrate our 62 years of marriage looking forward to an eternity of celebrating our lives with Christ our Saviour.

Jack Hoggard Godley

&

Vera Mae Houston

United in Marriage

June 30, 1957

Celebrating 62 Years on June 30, 2019