Today is our Anniversary.
Thirty-two years ago today, I married my high school sweetheart.
We have been blessed with five children.
We have lived in one apartment and three houses.
We have made many memories.

Our culture has a romanticized view of marriage.
Movies and books depict an idealized version of marriage.
No one talks about the wonder and the work of it all.
It takes work to make anything last…anything worthwhile that is.

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He was walking up the hill.
He looked like he was struggling.
Suddenly, I saw him bend down and take off his shoe.
I saw him find what he was looking for and toss it in the grass.

A stone.
A small stone was causing all the trouble.

I can relate.
In the winter the salt trucks scatter small stones on the road after a snowfall.
Wonderful for drivers, a nuisance for walkers.
The stones always find their way into my shoe.

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There it was tucked away in a book.
I must have put it there the day I received it.
It was a Thinking Of You card that my friend sent to me.
The words impacted me so I put the card in a book for safe keeping.

I had not thought about the card until this morning.
During my quiet time, I read the same words in the Bible that were on the card.
The verses triggered the memory of the card and my friend who sent it.

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I had to restore my iPod today.
A few days ago, I imported a series of lectures that I wanted to listen to in the car.
I had been listening to them on my computer whenever I was in the kitchen.
Listening to them in my car would be so much easier.

Today, when I plugged in my iPod to sync the series and some music, there was a delay.
The wonderful pinwheel that appears just kept spinning and spinning.
Something wasn’t’ right.
Then the warning: Your iPod is corrupted and needs to be restored.

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There are English muffins on my kitchen counter.
Someone used the last one this morning and took another bag from the freezer.
Nooks and crannies.
Spaces to hold butter, honey, peanut butter, jelly, or anything you choose.

Regular bread is a bit different.
It is still delicious and nutritious whether toasted or not.
Yet whatever you spread on your bread simply stays on the top.
It doesn’t sink in.

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My husband is installing gutter guards on our house.
He actually almost completed the job last year.
He left the gutter in the front of our house open to appease me.
That is where our Christmas lights get hung.

It was a compromise, which I knew would eventually have to come to an end.
The front gutters would get filled with leaves, sticks, seed pods, dirt, and other debris.
When it would rain, there would be a sheet of water coming down near our door.
I knew it was just a matter of time until that gutter would need to be covered, too.

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Fall is in the air.
I can smell it.
The sky is brilliant blue.
The leaves are showing their first tinge of color.

Leaves are crunching underfoot and making a patchwork of colors on the lawn.
Orb spiders seem to be everywhere; the intricate web a work of art.
There is a spider web that is literally over our walkway next to our deck.
It is high enough not to be disturbed, but sticky enough to catch unsuspecting insects.

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We went out to get frozen yogurt.
One of those fun places where you pick your own toppings from the myriad of choices.
It was crowded; many families with lots of small children.
One little boy was a delight to watch; at least for me, maybe not for his parents.

He was intrigued with all the toppings.
He loved the colors, the variety, the knobs that could be turned.
I watched him thinking that to him this must seem like the Please Touch museum.
Colors and knobs to turn; what fun!

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Road signs interest me.
So often the signs we are used to seeing will have additional instructions.
I saw one such sign the other day.

My son and I were taking some back roads to our destination.
He was driving and I was able to take in all the scenery.
We were on a pretty, tree-lined street and were approaching a stop sign.
We were driving slightly downhill.

On our right was a small cul-de-sac with a stop sign.
As we stopped at our stop sign, I noticed the words.
OPPOSING TRAFFIC DOES NOT STOP.

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What is revival?
That word is heard in churches; it is pleaded for in prayer groups.
Webster’s Dictionary defines revival as: an improvement in the condition or strength of something; an instance of something becoming popular, active, or important again; a reawakening of religious fervor.

The words in the definition are clear.
However, as I pondered revival, I came to another conclusion.
Revival simply means saying YES.

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