After fifty-three years of marriage, I don’t remember well when I first met Harry and first loved him. I have flashes of remembering soft touches and eyes that met with love. Now we are old, still married, and although the love is still there, it looks and feels different. It is Harry taking me to various doctors, making dinner every night even as the baseball game plays in the other room, and kissing me gently on the lips as he heads out to run errands. It is me making his coffee and having it ready for him in the morning, putting fresh soap for him to use in the shower, and reminding him to take his Wednesday medicines or to call the doctor for his follow up appointment.

We have had the pleasure of having our twenty-one year old granddaughter living with us for the last eleven months. Today is her last day with us as she leaves early tomorrow morning for her college classes and then heads home to Pennsylvania to get married next week. We have seen her with her beloved Josh and seen a lot of reminders of what first love looks like. The two of them sparkle together, with a constant desire to be in the same room just to be near one another. They look for ways to make each other smile or laugh at silly, seemingly unimportant things. They encourage each other, especially Josh encouraging Teya when she feels stuck on come college assignment. And of course, there are kisses and hugs…not passionate ones as one might do privately, but kisses that say, “You are my future and I am glad you are in my life.” Their eyes speak of promises and expectation for a wonderful life together.

The way Teya and Josh are together is the way our relationship should be with Jesus. Not stagnant or feeling old and in need of refreshing, but always a new beginning with Him each day. Every day is a new day to show Jesus how much we love Him by spending quality time with Him and listening for Him to speak to us. We should glow when we leave His presence, if not visibly, then inside because we know we are changing from the inside out just because we were with Him.

In Revelation 2:4, I can imagine the sadness in Jesus’s eyes and voice as He tells the church that they have left their first love. He, He is our first love. Do you recall when you first met Jesus? Were you excited? Overjoyed? A little afraid and a lot awed? That was how I remember feeling. But mostly, I remember that for the first time in my life, I felt accepted for who I was and loved just for being me. I didn’t have to perform with good grades and honor rolls. I was enough just being me. And I still am enough. I still am accepted. And I hope and pray that Jesus will always be a first love for me, that I will never lose the wonder of His presence and His love for me.

Next week, we leave to go to Teya and Josh’s wedding. I am excited to see this celebration of love occur and I am happy to be reminded of the similar vows Harry and I took over fifty years ago. Harry is my first love here on earth, the man who showed me what love is so that believing in the love of Jesus was easier for me after years of rejection.

I may or may not be posting regularly as we are traveling a lot and seeing family, all good things. Just know that I will be thinking of my dear friends online and praying that each of you remember fondly the first time you met Jesus and fell in love with our Savior.