Tag: 50th Anniversary

50th Anniversary


I’m not sure when the idea first came up. We were talking at Christmas 2020 with our adult kids about what we should do to celebrate our 50th anniversary in June. Different ideas were discussed and one of those ideas was to spend a week in Hawaii with our children and grandchildren. It seemed impossible but we agreed to look into it.

Two essential components were the cost of air travel and finding affordable housing. We also faced the uncertainty of the Covid19 epidemic and the impact it was having on travel. I contacted our Hawaii timeshare company in early February to see if we could reserve four condos for the last week of June. They told us they already had so many requests that they were not even taking any more names for a waiting list. So we started looking on VRBO for places to rent in Maui. Renting four condos was substantial. 

Another key component was air travel. We had applied for a new credit card with Southwest airlines in January and expected to earn a large number of travel points that could help buy some tickets to Maui. Our kids helped buy some tickets too but we were looking at flying nineteen people to Hawaii. However, with the bonus points from the new credit card and the points my wife still had on her SW account we were able to purchase over half of the tickets we needed. Our kids purchased the additional tickets and we were able to secure all nineteen tickets on Southwest Airlines departing non-stop from Long Beach to Maui on June 25th.

As we continued our search for rental housing I received a letter from our Hawaii Timeshare company informing us that one of the weeks we had in our account was going to expire. I decided to extend that week and to look on their website and see if any units might be available for our dates in June. To my surprise there were two units listed on their site for the exact to dates we needed! Remember they told us in February that they were not taking any more names on a waiting list. Now two months later they had two one-bedroom units available. I called immediately and reserved those two units and asked them to watch for another one on the same dates. A week later they called to confirm the third unit.  These three condos combined with the week we already owned gave us the four condos we needed for our four adult kids and their families.  Some generous friends agreed to allow my wife and me to stay in their nearby guest house for the same week. Suddenly all of our housing needs were reserved and our flights for nineteen were confirmed. Amazing! 

We sensed that something special was coming together for our 50th Anniversary. It looked so unlikely we could find or afford nineteen plane tickets and four condos but God provided in some remarkable and unexpected ways. There is a verse in the Bible that says, “My God will supply all your needs” (Philippians 4:13). Let me encourage you to ask God to do great things in your life and in your family. You may be surprised how He provides.

Read 365 more stories (one for every day of the year) by the author in his book Let Me Encourage You by Mark Hopper. The cost is only $20 plus $5 for postage. Order your copy today at markh@efreedb.org.

Fifty

Today is our 50th wedding anniversary. It is hard to believe my wife and I were married fifty years ago on June 4, 1971. Several thoughts run through my mind as I reflect on those numbers.

First, I am thankful we made it to our 50th anniversary. We have been on a 15 year journey with my wife’s breast cancer. There have been several times when we did not think we would make it to 50 years of marriage. But God has been gracious to restrain the progress of this disease and extend her life. New medicines have proven effective and the prayers of many people have sustained us on this journey. The cancer is not gone but recent test results have been encouraging.

Second, I am thankful for our family. A young twenty-year old couple got married 50 years ago. Fifty years later we have four adult children, three sons-in-lawn, one daughter-in-law and ten grandchildren. We have gone from a family of two to a family of twenty! Pretty amazing!

Third, I am thankful for the friends and extended family members who have touched our lives. There are too many to name but we are so grateful for older adults who mentored us and encouraged us. And we are thankful for younger couples and individuals our own age who have enriched our lives in many different ways. God has put special people in our path as we raised our families and encouraged one another.

Fourth, I am thankful for all the adventures my wife and I have shared together. We have been able to travel together and serve together in many parts of the world. When our children were young our adventures were camping in the mountains and trips to the beach. We smile as we remember trips to San Diego and Disneyland. We drove across the country and saw many memorable sites. As they grew older they found careers that they enjoyed and a spouse to start their own family with.

We don’t know what the coming months and years will hold. We have more things that we would like to do together. Every day is a gift from God. There is a verse in the Bible that we selected as a theme for our marriage. It says, “O magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together” (Psalm 34:3). Let me encourage you to take time to reflect on your past and continue to make plans for your future. Give thanks to God for his blessings and ask Him to give you more adventures to enjoy. You will be glad you did and your spouse will too!   

You can read more articles and stories by the author – one for every day of the year in the author’s book – Let Me Encourage You by Mark Hopper. The cost is only $20 (plus $5 postage).Order your copy today at markh@efreedb.org.