“Oh, how I love Jesus, Oh, how I love Jesus,

Oh, how I love Jesus, Because He first loved me.” ~Frederick Whitfield, 1855

Many might remember this sweet song from Sunday school. I used to sing it to my babies while we rocked in a chair at night. It’s a wonderfully big truth for such a little song!

There are, of course, a zillion reasons to love Him–the fact that He loved me first being the most amazing and wonderful of all! Yet there’s another reason Jesus has won my heart … [Read more...]

When I first thought of writing this post, the mental title was How to Stay Married For Over Thirty Years Without Murdering Your Husband. However, the better part of discretion prevailed and you have a serious title… but as you read, think of the original title and you will understand where I’m coming from.

When I met my future husband, I was in my senior year of high school and he had gone to college, dropped a class and been drafted, spent two tours of duty in Vietnam, returned to college, and now was starting graduate school.

The union of these two lives could only have been a plan written by God!  God seems to enjoy matching complete opposites, and every marriage starts with two flawed people in need of grace.

I had come through losing my father suddenly in my childhood, living with a mentally unstable stepfather, and experienced an increasing rift with my seven half-brothers and sisters as a result of my becoming a Christian (although I remained close to my mother).

My husband, on the outside seemed to come from a very stable home environment, but beneath the surface was a great deal of dysfunction. While not going into detail, his past resulted in great emotional wounding which continues to heal.

He had also already been diagnosed as manic depressive (which I believe is a much better name than bipolar disorder, as it is called today). His symptoms have been difficult to control since the basis of them is his severe environmental allergies which cause his brain to swell (resulting in a change of personality and at times the inability to think clearly).

So… God brought us together and healed all wounds and healed the bipolar disorder and we lived happily ever after. Ummmm… no.

To be completely honest… and I’m not telling tales out of school for my husband has talked of this… there were very, very difficult years. However, I have told people that my husband may be a project but he is “my project”.

What have I learned through the years that kept us together so long? Some of the lessons are… [Read more...]