a quarter of a century

25 years is a long time. You can go from birth to college graduate in less time. A car is considered "antique" after being on the road for this time period. People can retire after working at a company for this long. You can pay off your mortgage to your house. If you are a teen-ager you can't understand this length of time because it's longer than your entire life span. 25 years is so long, it's not uncommon to measure it with regard to a century (a quarter of a century). Twenty five years is definitely a long time....

...unless it measures the length of time you have been in a faithful relationship of trust with one person.

...unless it is the length of time you have spent making one person laugh and having them laugh at you.

...unless in that time you have been on some amazing adventures together to some incredible places (mexico, hawaai, nova scotia, turkey, greece, england, and countless cool places in the states from the mountains of Tennessee to the shores of South Padre Island to downtown INDY).

...unless it includes a partnership at some churches in Kentucky, Florida, Missouri and Normal (of all places).

...unless it is the time it takes to learn every incredible, intimate detail about another person (so much so that you know what they are thinking, when they are hurting, or when something is bothering them without them ever saying a word).

...unless it marks the length of time you have felt loved unconditionally.

...unless it is the number of years it takes to talk completely straightforward and honest with your truest friend and be completely secure in the love that is behind it. (after this amount of time, you can even yell and be yelled at, and know the love hasn't changed)

...unless that original beauty you saw in the face of the person you love still remains, even though the face has physically changed.

...unless you have spent that entire time with your best friend (no really, this can happen...it's happened to me).

...unless you can see the love you share in the actions of the children you have raised (in this amount of time you can also see facial expressions, hear vocabulary, and note attitudes that are really familiar - the good ones you claim, the bad ones must be your loved one's).

...unless you have no regrets but wish that you would have soaked in all the ordinary moments a little bit more (it really isn't the big events that I would do over, it's the "no reason at all" evening walks and talks and the backyard fire pit conversations that I would pay closer attention to if I had a do-over).

Twenty five years of marriage may seem like a long time, unless the above statements are true. Then 25 years isn't that long at all. As a matter of fact, you find yourselves saying things like, "It seems like it was yesterday", and you wish for another 25 years. Now fifty...that's a long time! And I hope me and my bride get there. Happy anniversary Sara (Johnson Bible College Chapel, 7:00 p.m., May 10, 1985). I really do love you and it's really been an incredibly short-long time!