Last year, I composed a post that lumped together the first five years of anniversary gifts. I don't think I ever returned to describe what Adam and I gave one another for our fifth anniversary. We were going to pick out silverware together since it was the Wood and Silverware year. We wound up being too indecisive and didn't want to spend so much money on eating utensils...who knew they would be so expensive!?
So, instead, we surprised one another with smaller and more meaningful gifts. I gave Adam a personalized spoon and mug. At the time, I had pictured his using the mug someday and placing it on his teacher desk in the future.
Adam bought chimes to hang on our front porch that look like wooden chimes. My mom has chimes on her front porch so the dainty twinkling sounds from the chimes remind me of home. We actually left them up year round and all throughout the year, the delicate clink and musical bell sounds reminded me of the sweet anticipation of our wedding day each time I heard them.
Today is now our sixth wedding anniversary (Iron to signify strength and Candy which represents sweetness) and the Feast of Pentecost. Pentecost occurs fifty days after Easter and reminds us we always have an Advocate through the Holy Spirit. Just like in the days leading up to our wedding, Adam and I have been praying a novena, or nine day prayer, together that wraps up today. This year, we prayed the Pentecost Novena. It was nice to go back to some of the traditions we enjoyed when dating in this way by praying a special prayer with intention together as a couple these last several days. Charlotte Annie even joined in when we had to do some of the prayers virtually while she and I were in PA for our annual Mother-Daughter Trip.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.” ~ Galatians 5:22–23
May we continue to attempt to have our marriage bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit through showing all the above gifts...there certainly are so many opportunities and chances to lean into and cultivate them throughout the vocation of marriage and family!
The highway plant life, especially in Pennsylvania, that has been abundantly growing at the moment boasts these beautiful wildflowers that served as the inspiration for our light green and light purple wedding colors. Seeing the white flowers peppered in there remind me of the white we associate with the wedding gown.
Today's gorgeous sunny weather is also very similar to the weather we experienced together six short years ago. As I sat outside with the rising morning sun, the following prayer illuminated my heart.
Thank you, Lord, for this beautiful, messy, challenging, and sanctifying vocation of marriage. Come, Holy Spirit, and strengthen us in love as it is a daily (and sometimes minute by minute) choice to do so, help us to lean into joy by stepping into the sun dappled areas of our lives so we can feel your warmth amidst the shadows or areas of confusion, grant us calming quiet peace like the leaves softly fluttering in the warm summer breeze, provide us with buckets upon buckets overflowing with the refreshing waters of patience on a hot late May morning, help us to treat one another with kindness taking care to gently remove any gnarled or twisted underbrush, clear the path and give us the eyes to see goodness in one another and all around us - - take away any blinders, distrust, or "I can do it my own way" feelings so we can increase in mutual self giving love and reliance on you, Lord, and in one another because marriage takes three (you, Lord, my spouse, and me) and may we continue to always experience faithfulness with one another as husband and wife. Lord, teach us to be more like children and in their tender wide-eyed wonder way of looking at the world, help us to be gentle with the other's heart while also enflaming it to continue burning with love for you, Lord, as we daily strive toward and arrempt to help one another get to Heaven. May this be evident in our actions, including displaying self-control in picking up...and carrying...our crosses with humility and sacrificial love. Let us seek to embody all aspects of Galatians 5:22–23 both personally and within our marriage. Amen.
I don't believe it's an accident that those scripture passage numbers align with our wedding anniversary date weekend (05.23.15). ❤️
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