In each of our lives there are moments which we remember and appear to be frozen in time.

They are moments which are idyllic and picturesque as the peaceful waters of a serene shoreline.

Although we cannot summon to the present times gone by we can, via our memories, reflect on precious memories.

Most particular are those memories classified under the label of Defining Moments.

A wedding day is a defining moment, most assuredly when it is your own!

I’d like to share with you a distinctly precious memory which continues to be lived out in our own great adventure as today, Jackie and I celebrate our thirty sixth wedding anniversary.

We were two young kids not yet graduated from college.

We opted to be married at the outset of our senior year.

We did not have money honey, but we did have love (and still do!).

Our newlywed apartment was small, cozy, and very cold even though our hearts were well kindled and very warm.

We lived off of our summer earnings and with the help of Uncle Sam were able to eat as we qualified for food stamp assistance afforded college students who were married.

Not ideal, but it worked for us at the time.

Graduation came and real life began to happen.

Adult responsibilities slowly but surely increased.

We nearly died in a car accident the same day of the Three Mile Island nuclear incident. We had no clue of the news on March 28, 1979 – a mere six months after we were married.

Not long after our near death experience, we relocated from our home base outside of Pittsburgh to Harrisburg in the central part of the state.

Our children, who were and are our greatest blessings, subsequently came along.

Life tests in the form of job loss and job tensions gripped us.

As one who loves roller coasters, we have experienced many of the ups and downs most people face walking the path put before them.

We were absorbed in the lives our children who grew into adulthood, were married, and now are living lives of their own.

We are enjoying the fruits of their love in the form of our three precious grandchildren and will soon welcome the fourth member of this esteemed group later this year.

In many respects, our wedding day is a distant memory clouded by life being lived out day to day in the here and now.

In other respects our Day One seems like it was yesterday.

Last year, I wrote about an unexpected visit to where it all began for the two of us. An excerpt follows:

“As we traveled toward home we decided to visit the college where Jackie attended school and where we were engaged and subsequently married, circa 1978. For us, it was a wonderful step back in time to observe some “markers” we placed along our road.

We entered the castle-like building where Jackie once resided and then found our way to the adjoining chapel where our vows took place.  As we climbed the oak staircase, something began to stir in my heart as tears formed on my eyes.

We entered our private time capsule and sat quietly on the pew with our eyes closed.  I could see the faces of our parents, siblings, and college friends.  I remembered the guitar music playing in the background.  I could see both ministers who married us.  Most importantly, I could see myself standing at the altar watching my bride march toward me. She took my breath away – still does.   It was a blessing to both of us that culminated in a prayer of thanks, a few tears being shed, and a kiss.  I looked toward Jackie seated next to me and reaffirmed my vows to her spoken three plus decades ago – “I Still Do!”

We celebrate this day not because we have all the answers. Those who know us closely can testify to this fact.

We can celebrate this day because at the center of it all is a God who loves us dearly.

He has carried us through many, many storms.

Those storms come and go with His quiet whisper lingering in our hearts – “peace, be still!”

He has authored in our hearts many pages of forgiveness one to another.

He has allowed trials to refine us rather than define us.

We are still a work in progress and always will be.

We are in it for the long haul. I plan to be chasing my bride around the house when I celebrate my century birthday!

Most of all, He has given us each other’s hand to hold and our hearts to walk the path together.

He has given us the assurance three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

As we reflect upon and celebrate “our day“,  we invite you too to walk down your own “memory lane” reflecting on those moments frozen in time which are woven into your own tapestry.

To my bride – I love you now more than ever and eagerly anticipate the journey ahead.  I am honored to share this life with you…..with all my love…..Bruce

Photos Courtesy of Bruce R. Cross