Today is a special day in the lives of Paul and Gail Palpant as they are celebrating their 47th wedding anniversary. The 23rd of July in 1966 was the hottest day of the summer and, of course, the church had no air conditioning. Fortunately, we were married in the evening which made it a bit cooler. The ceremony took place here in Adrian at was then known as Grace Baptist Church.
We have certainly had a wonderful marriage filled with many special blessings. Always attempting to keep Christ at the center of our marriage has certainly helped us work through those difficult times which have occasionally crossed our path. It doesn't seem like we live in the same country that existed when we were married 47 years ago. So many things have changed since our wedding day. One of the biggest changes is our culture's view on marriage. Many people are not getting married, but just living together, and we have those who believe that same sex marriage should be allowed. However, God's plan for marriage is the best plan which is one man and one woman united in holy matrimony.
Speaking of changes, when we got married we didn't have a telephone, television, cell phone, computer, microwave, dishwasher, DVD player, or air conditioner. After eight months of marriage, we were able to buy a house in Hudson for $8,000. Since then we have built two homes, raised three children, assisted in building two churches and one school, and taken on many other projects, big and small. It may seem like a lot but we have enjoyed every minute of it, and it is the abundant life God had planned for us.
Yesterday we celebrated by spending time with our daughter, Christiane, in Marblehead, Ohio along
Lake Erie. We were able to have a nice lunch with her at the Marblehead Galley and visited a nearby lighthouse. She brought her Ipad with hundreds of pictures of her recent trip to France. So, we stopped at a coffee shop and viewed her pictures of our French relatives while sipping on a cup of coffee. Of course, her pictures were not complete without some of the stories that were shared about her experiences on the trip. The time went by way too quickly as we wanted to head home before it got dark.
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Even after 47 years, both of us would say, "I do", all over again. It's amazing how God can use a blind date to bring us to this point in our life. We would like to close with a quote of
I Corinthians 13:13 from The Message:
But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
Blessings and Encouragement,
Paul, Gail, Patsy, and Penny
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