25 years and going strong

It's wasn't our anniversary - or at least not that one. But it WAS 25 years ago (on May 31) that we first kissed - on the steps of the church building in The Hague!

That wasn't the beginning of our relationship. I have always been glad of that. Shirley and I were best friends. We spent hours sitting talking to each other about all sorts of things. We knew and appreciated each other. So when we both went on that summer campaign to the Netherlands, it was because we had grown in a wonderful relationship with the Lord and with each other. And it was, and still very much is this relationship that we have with the Lord that brought us together.

Yeah, it was that day that we became a "couple", with that simple kiss (and I still remember it well). It would be another three and a half years before we married. In fact, we didn't see each other for about two years in that time. But we kept growing closer. So May 31 is a day to remember for us.

To surprise me, Shirley set up a whole getaway thing (with the help of the boys). We spent a few days alone in Brughe, along the Belgian coast, in the city of Lille, France, and at a spa. It was all terribly romantic and we enjoyed it tremendously. We were even able to forget about the boys for a part of it (they did great!).

We are so looking forward to the next 25 years - each day at a time. God is so good and gracious and we are so glad to know HIS love.