“The problem with you two is that you want to start off where we are…after 30 years of marriage.”
We were engaged and we were excited about planning for our future and we had just shared with my father what we wanted to do before we actually got married.
First, we wanted to save and buy this and then save and buy that and the list went on and on… we thought we were being wise but upon hearing my father’s words something resonated with such wisdom in my soul.
Why wait? We knew that we really wanted to spend the rest of our lives together and we were committed to doing things God’s way. We understood that this was a lifelong commitment and we were willing to pay the price to make it work. So what if we didn’t have all the material things we wanted.
We made the decision and took the plunge and we got married.
Moving into our rented home was all part of the exciting adventure of our very own story. Although we had very little we were extremely happy. Our borrowed old lounge suite was accompanied by an old round garden table and once a month I bought a small posy of flowers to make it all look pretty. We had a deep-freeze but no fridge. No problem, I simply made freezer meals, froze our milk and bread and took it out as we needed. My husband’s single pine bed that he had had from the age of 10 was room enough to cuddle up on. We lived and laughed and enjoyed our life to the full.
As time went by we were able to buy a second hand Queen size bed, wonder of wonders! To lie on that thing after our single bed was so exciting. We had no bedding for it, just the actual duvet. We didn’t give a hoot. Life was good!
Bit by bit, as we could afford to, we added things to our life to make it more comfortable. It was all part of the adventure. We were so grateful for every little achievement. Two years later, we bought our very own home and moved our few possessions into it.
The truth is that you don’t need stuff to determine your happiness. Stuff just makes things more comfortable, more convenient. Happiness is being grateful for every part of the journey, the ever unfolding story that is your life. We were happy just to be together, the stuff was just an accessory to an already great life.
May you see the value of the beautiful individual that God has brought into your life. May you learn to cherish one another and see each day as a gift.
Love, laugh and be silly together and when children come along, do the same with them.
You have just got this one life, one opportunity to enjoy and appreciate these precious people God has added to you. Therein lies the true riches of life!
Blessings!
Sylvia
