“You are precious in my sight and honored, and I love you.”
— Isaiah 43:4
That beautiful line from Scripture was at the heart of the homily Fr. Vincent Hevern, SJ, gave when Jean and I were married 46 years ago today—and all these years later, it still captures exactly how I feel about her.
Looking back, it’s amazing how much of life can unfold when two people fall in love and simply say, “I do.” The photographs in this collage are a testament to that.
One photograph takes us back to our wedding day, while another was taken just last month when we hiked Mount Major in New Hampshire to celebrate her retirement after a brilliant career as a Professor of Psychology at The College of New Jersey.
And between those bookends of our life together, God has blessed us with three children, two sons-in-law, four grandchildren, lots of golden retrievers, and countless memories that neither of us could ever have imagined when we first said, “I do” on our wedding day.
Marriage is a lot like running a marathon. Having run both the Boston and New York City Marathons several times, I know there are miles when everything seems almost effortless as well as other miles when you encounter your own version of Heartbreak Hill, that moment when you feel like you are hitting the wall.
It’s in those moments, when the finish line can feel so far away, that one person sometimes has to be a little stronger and help the other keep moving forward.
And yet, you find the strength to keep going, bringing to mind the words St. Paul so eloquently wrote in 2 Timothy 4:7:
“I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.”
Thankfully, our race isn’t finished yet.
Neither of us knows how many more miles God will give us in this life, but our prayer is that, for the rest of our days, we will run them faithfully, side by side, and finish the race together.
What began 46 years ago as a promise we made to each other has become, by God’s grace, this wonderful family surrounding us today.
So, as Jean and I begin our 47th year together, I’m reminded again of St. Paul’s words:
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:13
After 46 years, I know just how true those words are.
Happy Anniversary, Jean. “You are precious in my sight and honored, and I love you.” Let’s finish the race together. ❤️