I started this blog a few months ago, but what you may not know is the story behind this page. The overall project, 365 Days with Grandma, was actually meant to be a gift for my grandchildren, a small part of my heart left behind to help them on their journey through life. I wanted a way to speak to them long after I am gone, to encourage them, to remind them of how much they were loved. Thus, Grandma’s Gleanings was birthed.
Tomorrow, my dear husband and I will be celebrating 44 years of wedded bliss. Well, not always bliss. We have had our share of disagreements, spats, sorrows, valleys, pain, and moments of instability, but we have also scaled some gorgeous mountains and viewed the world in all its beauty and wonder. We have birthed children, we have buried children; we have fostered children, we have adopted children. We have laughed hysterically, we have held each other tightly and wept uncontrollably. We have rejoiced in the excitement of a moment, we have clung to our Savior, trying to hold on to our faith in the despair of a moment. But through it all, God has sustained us, and I am thankful beyond words that God has given me a partner on this journey, a partner who would be a clear physical representation of the deep, unwavering love Christ has for His church.
The first institution established by God was the partnership of marriage, “But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh; so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” I understand the wonder of that passage more now than I did as a young, naïve girl repeating vows on my wedding day. I don’t know exactly when it happened, but I can attest to the fact that it did happen, for we are no longer “twain,” but we are one, joined by an invisible bond, a bond of love, devotion, and dependence, a bond established and empowered by God. It is certainly not a storybook adventure; it is real, gritty, difficult at times. But as I look back upon 44 years, I am humbled that God would see fit to bless me with a knight in shining armor, a kind soul to hold my hand, a stable leader, a hard-working provider, a patient counselor, a quiet sage, and a devoted friend. I am thankful for this home God has established, the children He has placed in our care, and for those precious grand babies I love so dearly.
Take a moment today and thank God for that special someone He has placed in YOUR life. Pray daily for your home, for Satan is on the attack, wanting to destroy this precious institution ordained by God Himself. Be steadfast in your devotion one to another, be patient, be kind…but most of all, be thankful.
Genesis 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.