Last week, I celebrated my anniversary, and I often write about marriage when the day rolls around. I’ve told stories to hopefully inspire you and make you chuckle. This year I was going to write about the pillow wars we are having, but then…
We celebrated 39 years of wedded bliss with a road trip that Hubby and AI planned. Hubby set the parameters, AI made suggestions, and then our travel agent friend booked the trip with stops we were assured would create the best possible experience for us. That week created much better stories than our pillow power struggles would – but I am keeping that on the back burner.
We loaded our car and took off to our first destination – Eureka Springs and the Crescent Hotel. The day before we left, I looked up the hotel to see what type of room and amenities we would have. THAT is when I discovered we would be staying in a HAUNTED HOTEL!!! Ghost tours and the opportunity to stay in “Michael’s Most Haunted Room.” We had passed our cancellation period, and since the only ghost I believe in is the Holy Ghost, I decided to ignore it.
But Hubby, on the other hand, was raised in a home where he was exposed to evil, paranormal movies, and doesn’t do well with any of that spooky stuff, so I decided not to tell him.
As we got closer to the town, billboards began popping up about “The Most Haunted Hotel in America.” Every time I would see one, I would divert his attention in the other direction.
“Look at that bird over there!”
We pulled up to the hotel built in 1886 on top of a mountain, and Hubby said, “Oh, this hotel is definitely haunted.”
“Oh, good, so you already know,” I replied with great relief that he wasn’t freaking out.
“Know what? This place just looks haunted.”
Hubby went in to register us, and when he returned, he confirmed it was indeed creepy, but we unloaded our car and made our way to our room, where he quickly put on the Ghostbusters theme song.
I was never more grateful for his sense of humor than at that moment.
After dinner, as we made our way to our room, a “ghost tour” was happening, and the guide was talking about the different kinds of “sightings.” That is when I started saying, “Lalalalalalalalalalalala!” so I couldn’t hear.
We did stay the night and laughed about a lot of the weirdness. I have stories to tell about that too because haunted hotels attract interesting people.
The next morning, when we walked out, I said, “Stayed in a haunted hotel. Check. No need to repeat that.”
After a quick trip to the beautiful, nearby Thorncrown Chapel, where we joked about needing to cleanse ourselves of ghostly attachments, we drove an hour to the Big Cedar Lodge, went straight to a boat, and headed into the middle of the lake. Whew! More our style. Even though there was a little “beverage faux pas,” we found humor in that too.
As we floated in the middle of the lake, I asked, “Did you ever imagine this life 39 years ago?”
Hubby said he didn’t imagine much other than being with me.
Aww! Same, Babe, same.
I recently had a conversation with a young wife and mother, and she said, “It feels like a ‘choosing to love’ stage now instead of a romantic love.”
My response was, “That’s great! Welcome to real marriage. The rest of your life, you will choose love, and that isn’t a bad thing.” In discussing the conversation with my mother, who had been married for 67 years and had dated my dad for seven years before that, she agreed. Choosing love is critical.
Life happens. Kids, jobs, sickness, financial woes, and other tensions chase romance away at times. But the “choosing to love” will bring it back. Time and time again. If you aren’t working to move towards each other, you will move away from each other – often without even noticing it.
Whether you have been married for years and years, are newly married, or contemplating marriage, my desire is for you to know that romance may come and go, but love can last. Jesus as the center of your relationship, humor, friendship, grace, a short memory of wrongs, and choosing love is my recipe.
As we drove back into town after a week on the road, Hubby and I were grateful for time away – together. We did agree to check out hotels better before booking a stay.
See, we are still learning and growing. Happy 39 to us!
Not to be trite, but this verse really does sum it up:
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.
It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wrongs.
1 Corinthians 13:4-5
Also, the picture of the upside-down “Happy Anniversary” sign stuck in our complimentary dessert did, indeed, come that way. “Icing on the cake” for our often wonky trip.
If you want to read some past marriage-related posts, you can do so here and here…These are some of my favs!
Note: If you are in an abusive relationship, don’t choose that. Please seek help.
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