Another Anniversary

Recently I wrote a blog, “An Anniversary I Don’t Celebrate.” It was the 11th anniversary of our daughter, Crystal’s (36), death from leukemia. I hesitated to even call it an anniversary, but I didn’t know what else to call it.

There is another anniversary I do celebrate this week. It is our 54th wedding anniversary. I celebrate that God brought Iris into my life and that we fell in love and got married. God has truly blessed our lives in many ways. Without the blessing of our marriage we never would have had Crystal.

I am grateful for two wonderful children and four super grandchildren. Crystal is no longer with us in person but I am so grateful for the thirty-six years we had with her.

I don’t think there will be anniversaries in heaven because there will be no dimension of time.  Heaven will be one grand continuous celebration. It is something I look forward to with great anticipation. Here some anniversaries are joyful, some are not. The Bible says that, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” I Corinthians 2:9.

Iris and I will celebrate our wedding anniversary this week and we will reflect on our lives together. We will rejoice for the many blessings and happy times we have shared together. We will no doubt remember the birth of our children and the blessing they have been. In the midst of our celebration we will also be reminded that Crystal is no longer with us. That will be painful, but we will also be glad that God brought us together and blessed our marriage and enabled us to share the good times and support each other in the difficult times.

This reminds me of a few verses from a poem I wrote for Iris a few years ago:

When I see you crying

I know you are so sad.

It’s something I can understand,

Because I am her dad.

 

I cry for you and you for me.

We are her dad and mother.

The only way we hope to live,

Is holding to each other.

 

Then one day we both will join

Our daughter with no tear.

There is no doubt in our mind,

For this is Crystal Clear.