Musings at Altitude

My Mom and Dad celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary today with the not so usual trip to Red Lobster (an hour drive away) for my Mom to get her very usual 3.5 pound lobster.  These trips don’t come often anymore, since the Red Lobster near their home was completely obliterated by hurricane Katrina.  The long road trip isn’t as easy anymore, making the lobster all that much more special.

For their 50th Anniversary present, my wife and I went to the Vermont Teddy Bear company and ordered a special gift commemorating their wedding 50 years ago today:

I’m not sure any gift can provide that perfect appreciation that this many years of mentoring and leading by example have given.  My Mom and Dad have shared enormous joy and enormous pain together, and through it all, every time we call, we get that same excitement and the same sense of pride for who we are that they began sharing with us very early in our lives.  In their 50 years of marriage, they survived hurricane Camille in a beachfront hotel in Biloxi, and then hurricane Katrina in their home less than a half mile off the beach in Gulfport.  Through challenges beyond their control, they were faced with financial difficulties early on, and yet we were never wanting for anything.  From my Dad, I learned a work ethic that throws heart and soul into any business endeavor.  From my Mom, I learned compassion beyond belief and a desire to help anyone, anytime in need. 

My wife says I look like my Dad when I take my glasses off.  I certainly hope so.  Through his life and from his example I’ve seen how to love and I’ve seen how to totally commit yourself to your partner, through good times and bad, through the smiles and the tears.  I hope in looking like him I can also emulate him in the perspective he has, in the calm personality he exhibits, and in the mature response to any crisis or any victory that he shows.

I’ve been blessed with parents that have provided a foundation in faith for me which is the cornerstone of my life today.  Through their beautiful example of faithfully following Christ, I’ve learned a lesson in obedience that comes directly from their examples.  I’ve also been blessed with parents who have provided much needed ears when I needed to talk, and much needed wisdom when I needed to listen.  Over my 47 years, we’ve laughed together, cried together, celebrated together, and mourned together.  Much of my life, they have helped me immensely, and every now and then, I’ve been able to provide some measure of help in return. 

On this special day, I’d like to say once again how much I love you Mom and Dad.  I can never thank you enough for showing me how to live my life by living an example where I can’t help but see so clearly how God expects us to live, to love, to share, and to give.  You have richly blessed our lives with your love and your example.

I love you.