Love@25

Dreams and aspirations make people look forward to the future. The visions that we seek cannot come to fruition without a plan, without action. I am a planner; and I act on my plans. But there are things that we aim for that do not happen as planned despite all the careful details made at the outset. We must listen to the Lord who counsels us. "I will praise the Lord who counsels me, even at night my heart instructs me." (Psalm 16:7)  Always, it is God’s plan that prevails.

For instance, I wrote in my Self-Realization Program when I was in my teens that I would get married at the age of 30. I fell in love with the woman of my dreams the first time I met her in 1978. I was 22 years old then, while she was 19. My plan, therefore, was to get married in 1987; but Debbie had her own timetable of becoming a wife by 25.  I advanced my plan by two years, thus in January 6, 1985 we got married. It was the happiest moment in my life.  Years later, Debbie told me that she prayed the Novena of the Sacred Heart for a year for guidance that led to our decision to marry in 1985. "Your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying `This is the way; walk in it.'" (Isaiah 30:21).

Debbie and I will celebrate our silver wedding anniversary on January 6, 2010 and we will renew our wedding vows before God, family and friends at the St Mary’s Church in Northcote, North Shore City.  Truly, it is a milestone for us as a couple – through the struggles and the successes; having three wonderful children (plus a son-in-law and a grandson); and involvement in worthy causes and pastoral service.  So many memories to cherish, so many stories to tell; and I have to put these together in a few minutes of testimony during the short program that would follow after the ceremonies.

I thought I could express these all in a song that I wrote a few days ago, which I will sing for Debbie and share with our guests. This is entitled “Love@25” and it goes like this:

Love@25

Refrain
Love at twenty-five
What a wonderful feeling
It’s great to be alive
A quarter of a century of loving

I am thankful
To have met you
You put meaning to my life
You took me the way I am
Through good times and through bad
Truly, I am grateful
(Refrain)

I look forward
To many more years
Of spending life with you
Without you, I’d be lost
I pray to the Lord
For us to be together forever
(Refrain)

by Mel Libre