“So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.” (Ephesians 5:28 KJV)
For fifteen years on our anniversary, I gave Bobbie a vase of yellow silk roses (1 rose for each year of marriage). From the sixteenth year through year thirty, I took the vase of roses to a flower shop where they cleaned the old roses and added one new rose in a new arrangement.
Each of those fifteen “new” arrangements was an emotionally welcome experience. Bobbie and I spent a good deal of time savoring the joy of our marriage and family, reminiscing over special events of our lives and reviewing issues that needed attention.
Then one year I realized my “anniversary habit’ was becoming dull and boring. It dawned on me that if I was bored with it, probably Bobbie was too. I wondered what might restore the excitement. What new gift would do it? Something truly different and alluring. Gifts wouldn’t do it.
As I thought on these things a gentle breeze blew across the porch flipping pages of my Bible and spreading my sermon notes everywhere. As I scurried to retrieve the notes, I noticed a poem that I had been thinking of using in the sermon. The light of inspiration came on. I would write her a poem that would sizzle with love.
As it turns out, my poem was easier to conceive than to write. The inspiration was great but the writing proved more difficult. There must have been several dozen drafts. I could just imagine Bobbie sitting in her office laughing with her co-workers over my sentimentality. I phoned her to just bolster my resolve.
She was so happy I called at this opportune time. “Would you mind going by the doughnut shop and bringing us a dozen doughnuts? I’ll love you forever!” I agreed and quickly wrote two silly verses to my poem about scurrying across the city just for doughnuts. Then I placed a tablecloth, a bag of sandwiches, bottles of Dr Pepper and a fold-up table in the trunk of my car. I went by the florist and picked up the vase of roses. Stopped by Tim Horton’s for doughnuts and proceeded to Bobbie’s office.
That anniversary Bobbie got the roses, but the highlight was that we ate together beside a railroad track at the edge of her office parking lot. We laughed at the poem. We laughed as the train passed and the engineer blew the whistle . We laughed as Bobbie’s co-workers looked out the office window with great envy.
And you know what? I am quite certain that I got as much out of it as Bobbie did.
Dear Father thank you for your example of love. Empower us to be creative in showing our love to our spouses. Help us to love them as we love ourselves. This I pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Be courageous today in showing your love,