Hobby Number 906

This one, I inherited directly from my mother. She is a total pro at floral arrangements. I can pull off a thing or two... nothing compared to her skills. My parents have been married 46 years. Obviously, last year was their 45 wedding anniversary. I don't know about you, but I find that to be something to celebrate!! My dad is the really quiet type and doesn't care much for parties, so I tried to come up with something special that I could do without making him uncomfortable.

Since my parents came from modest backgrounds, they didn't have an actual "wedding" but were married in the home of their pastor. This meant, of course that they didn't have two of the things we most likely think of when we think of weddings -- a bridal bouquet and a cake. There was my idea! In celebration of their 45 years, I wanted them to finally have these things.

My mother has a deep love for flowers, so I knew it would mean even more if she knew I made her bouquet myself. Deep breath..... I could do this. I hit up our local grocery store, purchased a couple dozen roses and some filler. By God's grace, all went well and this was the end result.

It just happened that their anniversary fell on a Sunday and I was singing at church that morning (hobby number 907). I invited mom and dad to come hear me sing in early service so that they could avoid missing worship at their church. Generally, I'm a bit nervous before I sing, but this morning, I was terribly excited because I was going to give my mom her bouquet before church. She was so surprised and proud. I think she told everyone she saw that day about her bouquet.

It's amazing how much in life we take for granted. We all have so much and waste so much. Our society seems to subscribe to the philosophy that bigger and more expensive is always better. If we only stopped to realize how untrue this is. Platinum ceremonies and designer gowns do not a good marriage make. What makes a good marriage can't be found on any runway or in any boutique, but can be exchanged between two people without cost. I am thankful to have been witness to such a marriage and the recipient of such love. It was truly my privilege to reinvest this love into a gesture that made my mom light up and my dad don his famous sheepish grin. It may have been their anniversary, but I feel that I am the one who received the gift.