To say we were surprised is an understatement! Our sweet daughter took it upon herself to plan, delegate, and execute a surprise 25th anniversary party for us. After concocting her scheme, she brought in the needed assistance to pull off the smallest of details. The flowers, cake, and colors reflected our wedding day, July 4, 1998. Pictures displayed highlighted not just our wedding day but the 25 years of growing our family and sharing life together. There was an album table for guests to look through, cards for guests to send well wishes, and a service led by Wayne's brother, Jeff, where we studied the book of Ruth as a group and sang a few hymns led on the baby grand piano by my mom and Hosanna.
This was also a huge deal for Zanna to pull off because she's not known to be great at keeping secrets. Boy, did she show us we were wrong!! 
Of course, there was a ton of food to enjoy that included brisket sandwiches and a plethora of salads and sides to enjoy. But we were especially blown away by all the people that came! Wayne's mom and brother flew in from Colorado (she was visiting the family there), his other brother and whole family came in from the Ft Worth along with his cousin and her daughter. My parents were there having already come to visit us during this time (what are the chances, wink, wink). Several pastors and their wives or family came in from the DFW circuit. Our District President drove a total of 12 hours here and back to attend. We had a whole bunch of our neighbors come some of which I had just played pickelball with that morning and they never said a thing!!! And our own members went above and beyond to decorate, prepare the food, set up and clean up, floral arranging, not to mention what happened behind the scenes. One member even made a stunning three layered cake!
We received thoughtful, lovely cards and even a few gifts which was totally unexpected. Zanna had reached out to some of our close friends around the country to let them know and it's been such a treat to hear from them! Earlier in the week we had received a beautiful bouquet of flowers from my sister and her husband in England. We also received a set of silver candlesticks originally given as a wedding gift to my grandparents, and then later as an anniversary gift for my parents' 25th, and now in our possession.
Hosanna even put together a trivia game for our guests to play!
Honestly, the whole thing was pretty overwhelming. Later, we both agreed part of it was knowing that we're not that great and wondering why on earth everyone would make such an effort. All I can say is, we apparently have a lot of people in our lives willing to love us despite our underwhelming greatness. And if that's not grace, I don't know what is.
I wish I could wax eloquent on marriage having put 25 years into ours. I guess I could say that this surprise anniversary party reminded us of what a full and meaningful life we've been blessed with that we honestly (and ashamedly) often take for granted. William gave a heartfelt speech on how much he recognizes how blessed his life is to have parents still together, and sweet Zanna (gifts are her love language) showed her love in the careful planning and execution of the party all done from her heart. We have pretty spectacular kids! Our extended family surrounding us and rejoicing with us reminded us of how blessed we are to such a supportive and loving family on both of our sides. Wayne's pastor friends and their wives I've come to know and love are a gift in and of themselves. No one else really understands the uniqueness of the pastoral ministry like other pastors! The support we receive from his district president is another huge gift from God. Our neighbors are amazing. I love living life with them through our book clubs, pickle ball games, Christmas parties, and even when the power goes out for days and we rally around each other to make sure everyone is taken care of. And our church family. We don't deserve their commitment and unwavering support but they keep giving it to us. They've known us for five years now so it's not like they haven't clued into our faults and yet they continue to love us.
That's pretty much marriage too - by now we're both well versed in each other's flaws and ugliness and yet we still stay committed to those vows we took a quarter of a century ago. It's reminding each other not just where we left the car keys but who we are in Christ. It's finishing the end of one another's sentences, still laughing at his jokes, and forgiving as we've been forgiven. It's seeing the best in the other even when it's hard to see. It's hard to remember a time we weren't "Wayne and Rachel". Of course, it's getting hard to remember anything - haha! Now, where did I put my reading glasses?
“When over the years someone has seen you at your worst, and knows you with all your strengths and flaws, yet commits him- or herself to you wholly, it is a consummate experience. To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.” Tim Keller
Here's to the next 25!!
