Yes! The Big Golden 5-0! 50 years ago today!
My, how time flies when you’re so in love [and we are!] and having so much fun [and we have!]!
“…still crazy after all these years…!”
That’s 18,250 glorious days of undying, uninterrupted, and overtly-expressed love with all the multiplied thousands of touches, kisses, and verbal “I love you!”(s) generously blended throughout.
That’s 200 meteorological seasons—and too-many-to-count seasons of life and experiences with family and ministry. Many ups and downs, good times and bad times. Endless vicissitudes. And, we have shared them all together. We have loved, nurtured, sustained, and faithfully cared for one another “for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health…till death do us part.”
And, through them all, Debbie has been my constant, faithful companion, lover, strength, support, and surety. She was “the dawn of my new day” of love; and every day for the past 50 years, she has continued to be “my sun to be my light … and my star to be my guide”! https://daveparksblog.com/2018/06/19/youre-the-dawn-of-my-new-day/
Truly, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from The LORD” [Proverbs 18.22]—and so I have…
“Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that He has given you under the sun…” [Ecclesiastes 9.9]—and so I have…
And it would take another 50 years to express my gratitude to God for His abundant mercy and grace in giving Debbie to me … and to Debbie for giving His grace—her grace—to me!
So, Debbie, my Dove, this is for you!
On this golden occasion, I want to ‘repeat and renew my vows of love’ to Debbie again with the words of a couple songs I wrote and sang to her in the months leading up to our marriage. We also included them on a program we printed for our marriage ceremony.
They are just some simple verses that I composed from my heart and set to tunes. I would sing them to her to the accompaniment of my autoharp. No one else knows the tunes but us because I can’t write music, but they are just a couple other love-notes I wanted to promise her, and I renew those promises here:
“SWEET RESIGNATION“
O, sweet resignation,
Love, I now resign to thee,
All the love of all my heart for all eternity!
I here surrender all I have,
And all I am I give—
I forfeit all my claims to self,
And pledge for thee to live.
“WE TWO“
We two … we stand together now,
We two … in living, loving union, we are one—we are only one.
Only one—only one to love,
Only one—only one to care,
Only one—one to give and share.
Only one—to honor and uphold,
Only one— to comfort and console,
One—to encourage and inspire,
One—for the need of every hour.
We two—forsake all others now,
We two—exchange our happy vows,
We two—we are only one.
We two—we’re joined together now,
We two—no longer ‘you’ and ‘me’—but only ‘we’
For we are only one.
I have written several other love tributes to Debbie over the years—especially on our special occasions—highlighting some of the scenes and vignettes of our love story … mainly because I just want Debbie to know my undying love for her. And also, if anyone else cares to see and read them, I want everyone else to know just what a noble and virtuous lady she is, and how worthy she is of my love for her.
Like…
Here is at least a partial reference to how we first met—my first sight and introduction to her: https://daveparksblog.com/2023/06/17/otd-1976/
And, then, just a little background story about my marriage proposal to her and our engagement to marry [and yes! it was in Lexington Cemetery!]:
And about my specific promise to ‘honor’ her in obedience to 1 Peter 3.7: https://daveparksblog.com/2023/03/27/and-show-her-honor-1-peter-3-7/
And, I have never gotten over my smitten-ness with her beauty and virtuous character:
I still look at and adore her this same way…
And so, Debbie, I want to renew today the same promise I have written in all those numerous cards and love-notes I’ve given you for 50 years:
~Dave Parks 