Anniversary

Tomorrow marks an anniversary for me. Six years ago, tomorrow, Linda died. I can think of only one thing more striking in its affect on my life – my becoming a Christian. I don’t mark the day in any special way, but it gives me a point of reference. My life has been dramatically changed over the last six years. Linda’s death is something that Jesus caused and is using for much good. And for that I am grateful. I have a clear sense that my life matters, that what I do has significance that will last for longer than I will live. Thanks be to Jesus for that blessing.

As I have thought about our years of marriage I have decided that the one thing that sticks out is this: we learned to love each other. Neither Linda nor I were prepared to be husband and wife. And because of that we had some pretty rough spots. But we learned what it means to love – and we were still learning. And that occurred only because of the kindness of Jesus. Apart from His grace, our marriage would have ended up like too many others. But it didn’t. I will almost certainly live the rest of my life as a single guy. And that will continue to have its challenges. But after that – heaven. The first person I want to see is Jesus. To actually see His face will be too amazing to put into words. If heaven were but five seconds of seeing Jesus it would be worth it. Completely. But, again, by His kindness, heaven lasts forever. And that means there will be time for Linda. I’m going to enjoy that.