a Blast from the Past

Here's a picture of Kevin and me at my senior prom in 1975. We just celebrated our 32nd anniversary and this was the closest I had to a wedding picture. We met at our youth group in 1974 and Kevin and I started dating in Jan. 1975 and knew within a few months that we were going to be married.
I graduated a year before Kevin. (I'm just 4 months older than him, I was the youngest in my class) I went to college in Iowa while Kevin went to his senior year in NJ. Kevin wrote me every day, we talked on the phone once a week and I saw him only three times that year. But we were determined and actually got engaged during Kevin's senior year in high school!
Sadly, my parents didn't approve of Kevin and my marriage. Our wedding was something they helped with very begrudgingly and were very vocal about their disapproval. They bragged to anyone who would listen at the wedding about how cheap it was. And a lot of folks told us "We're here to be nice but this won't make it" instead of wishing us well.
I understand because here we were, 2 teens, Kevin was 18 and I was barely 19. We had no money, no jobs and just figured it'd all work out. Our parents tried to prove they were right by telling us that they were not going to help us at all. So we started out with nothing and the years of having to work together actually bonded us closer than it would've if we'd had help from our parents.
So here we are, 32 years later. If I could use one word to describe how we are as a couple, the best word would be "content". It's a wonderful feeling. It feels like something we've really earned and cherish because we've worked so hard to accomplish contentment.
The only thing we ever thought we missed out on was being able to go back to the folks who didn't think we'd make it and just say 'neener, neener'.
No, actually, we are living proof of a living and loving God. With our history from 2 very unhealthy families, the chances of our marriage actually surviving, much less thriving is truly amazing. And credit needs to go to Jesus Christ, the One who saved us and redeemed us, both individually and as a married couple. It's like being a walking advertisement. Anyone who sees us is seeing the grace of God in a living, breathing couple.
We've definitely come a long way and thanks to God, we actually made it. And thanks go God, we are content.