Fifty years slipped by on Friday without any fanfare; no pomp and circumstance. It slipped by the rest of the world, that is, but for the ones who smiled at each other across a quiet Red Lobster table, nothing was lost. It didn’t slip by them…they didn’t slip.

Now, granted, they might have fallen (for each other) in those early 1970s high school years, but falling didn’t bring them to this day that slipped by the rest of the world, unnoticed. Building is what got them here.

Young love: that handsome boy with sparkling eyes, a bashful smile, and a swoop of soft hair falling across his brow – the sweet and shy new girl with tan skin and pretty, long hair falling across her shoulders. Falling…falling…like so many do…but that didn’t get them here.

Their 1970s love story, complete with bell-bottoms and drive-in movies, may have looked ordinary or expected from the outside, but something different lay beneath: a Solid Rock, a Firm Foundation.

They didn’t come from easy times and silver platters. They were made from survival and grit, hard work and army ethics, but more importantly than that, they were rescued by Amazing Grace, and the Love of Christ began to shape their lives.

Shaping, molding, refining, growing, stretching, learning. He worked; they played, and miracles began to take shape. Young love is exciting and fun, but life-love is strong and binding, and they have the sweet privilege of sharing both.

Like forging metal – hammer, sweat, and fire, that handsome boy was built into a man. With loyalty, honor, and a never-quit courage, the girl was shaped into a woman. And brick by brick, they began to build their lives together – masonry apprentices learning from the Master Builder as He laid the mortar of love and commitment and scraped away what need not last.

This. This is what got them here. They didn’t fall into fifty years – they built it. They worked and planned, quietly persevering side-by-side: a team marked by faithfulness, diligence, purpose, and joy. They didn’t quit when things were hard, and they didn’t turn their backs on each other. They built each other up, celebrated the good times, laughed a lot, and poured themselves into loving their Savior, each other, and the people around them. Love God; love people. These are the pillars of the life they’ve built, and what a beautiful sight it is to see!

Bodies that have been married half a century may feel some extra aches and pains, and they may wonder where the agility of youth has gone. Their feet may feel unsteady and their balance may falter, but one thing is for sure, their footing…the true and real staying power of life…is firm and strong, like hinds feet. They have chosen life and love and all of the stability that comes with that Firm Foundation.

Grit and grime, bricks and metal, sweat and pain…it sounds hard and unappealing, but that’s where the miracle comes in. With the honor of living in the life they built, we’ve gotten to feel first-hand how soft and warm, gentle and kind the love is that’s built by calloused hands. It’s a sweet and indescribable gift they’ve given us.

We invested in some fun for them to celebrate this milestone, but we didn’t plan pomp and circumstance. That’s not their style. No reception or party for the people who love them to show up in masses, though we know you would have loved to. We are grateful for those who honored them virtually with encouragement and congratulations because though they don’t want to take the stage, there IS something to see here. Let us be the first to start the standing ovation. We applaud our amazing parents, and we thank the Master Builder who gave them the tools and the fortitude to build fifty beautiful years. We pray there are many more to come!