Being murried.

Last night, we had Joel's grandmother (Memaw) over for dinner. She has had this amazing life-spending most of her adult life with her husband in Nigeria. She is such a pillar to me, and I love hearing her pray and listening to her stories.

We made quite a spread for dinner: chicken, broccoli, sweet corn, homemade biscuits (my specialty) and Joel's AMAZING fried green tomatoes. She seemed to really like it. After dinner, we sat down to watch CNN (Memaw is very interested in politics, and at 89 years old, she is completely all there. She has very strong opinions and is extremely influential in her church and home.) As the conversation was wrapping up and Joel and I were getting ready to take her back to her retirement home, she said, "You know, today is my wedding anniversary. 61 years."

We stopped in our tracks. We had no idea. Lloyd Neil, her husband, passed away a few years back. It makes me so sad that I never got to meet him, because the stories Joel's family tells us of him are amazing. He was so loved by everyone, and Memaw still speaks of him as the most amazing man she ever met. She spoke of how they met (she was 14!) and the wonderful impact he had on the Nigerians he lived with and his own family.

I am so thankful for Memaw (and Pepaw) because of the rich legacy they have passed on to their family. Although I am a newcomer to Joel's family, I am so blessed by their work around the world and the loving family they raised.

I am so thankful for the gift the Lord has made of marriage. It is such a beautiful expression of the Father's love, and seeing the blessing that can be passed on through a loving relationship to multiple generations is amazing.

As we are about a month and a half short of our first anniversary, it seems like this year has flown by. We have had to face some challenges this year, but I know we will face many more in the years to come. I have fallen so much more in love with the hubs. I am able to see more now how our differences really complement each other. He's so my best friend...and I'm excited to spend a summer with him!