The plan to celebrate our 14th anniversary was to end up at dinner and a movie after browsing bookstores (our favorite things). We’re best friends and partners in everything, so we knew we’d have a great night just talking and enjoying whatever came our way.
And this is what came our way: All night, we kept running into people we love–like walk-to-school neighbors, friends from church, and even a former student of mine. At one point, we found ourselves visiting a grad student and praying with his family who was in town to help him move out.
Everywhere we went, significant parts of our marriage found representation through people sent our way: walking together every day with the Neighborhood Walk-to-School group, ministering together to graduate students, teaching college students, and volunteering with youth ministry and church. It was fun that these encounters kept happening all night.
And yes, we had all this and our bookstore, romantic dinner, and movie too!
It was a beautiful night out because every half hour or so, we received little reminders of what makes marriage so great. For years, we’ve been together in life and ministry; it’s been so purposeful and connected to others that our night out included a wonderful sampling of what the years have meant to us.
It was never just about us.