A Picture of God's Grace
On Saturday, July 3rd, Gary and I will have been married forty years! Forty years? I was looking through an old photo album and found some really bad-quality polaroids from our wedding. I was seventeen, fresh out of high school. Gary was twenty-three, fresh out of college. My family had eight children and could not afford a wedding, so Gary and I paid for our very inexpensive ceremony. I wore a gown I had bought for my Senior Prom. I wore the same veil my sister Bonnie had worn for her wedding. The only photos we have are these old polaroids. I tried to fix them up a little with modern editing software ... and I thought it would be fun to share a few .... I know my sisters will enjoy seeing them.
July 3, 1970
My sister Bonnie, helping me get dressed.
My sisters ... Bonnie, Georgia and Nancy ... a lady from church made the gowns.
My mother ....
My father ...
My Beloved ...
What I looked like at that time .... if I could be this thin again! Big hair was in style in the 70's ....
This picture was almost completely black .... I was able to bring out a little detail, but I apologize for the poor quality. Still .... a moment in time, captured.
And here we are ... forty years later ... this past Fall at our son's wedding reception
CAN YOU BEAR ME?
Can you bear me when I show you who I am
When I tell you my worries
And the guilt that follows me?
Are you prepared to love me
Even though you don't understand much about me?
Are you prepared to share my past with me
Because it is also part of me?
Will you be able to endure
When you come to know that side of me
Which is unknown to you,
Which is hard to bear?
I cannot guarantee you happiness,
But much pain
And much poverty
And much being human
And much helplessness before God.
Therefore, consider everything well
Before entering into a deeper relationship with me.
(Author unknown)
For Gary .... who has been bearing for forty years ... a picture to me of God's amazing grace.
14 comments:
Frances, you know with my dial-up service, I usually wait to read your photography blog when I have access to a better connection, but when I saw this link on Facebook, I knew I had to see this post now, even if it took some time for the pictures to load. And I'm so glad I did!
This is precious. The pictures are precious...I so love old pictures! You were beautiful, Gary handsome...as you are still. The tenderness with which you write is precious. And the poem you shared at the end is precious. I was moved to tears. Don't we all have layers that only the most intimate of relations ever see? And how blessed we are when that one chooses to bear!
Thank you for sharing this heart-warming post!
Grace has covered your lives for 40 years, congratulations it's a wonderful thing to see. You did a great job restoring your wedding photo's. And I loved your hair in your wedding photo, so 70's, I was sporting a long shag then :-) Jean and I were married in Sept 1976 so we're not far behind you and feel as you do, our union has been pure grace, a gift to both of us.
Celebrate well such a wonderful milestone...
This post made me cry! I LOVE the Prom Dress/ Wedding Dress! You were so young! Goodness!
My husband and I are going on 26 years and I give all of the credit, of all of those years, to God. It is by His grace that we have made it through all of lifes ups and downs. What a blessing All of those years are!
Thank you for sharing this. I think that your pictures are wonderful! And, I will definitely be copying the poem for myself and for new brides.
Wonderful!
Joyce
What a beautiful poom...and congratulations with 40 years wedding !!!!
Hugs and love from me.......
you shouldn't apologize for your
lovely photos. i enjoyed each one
and was not distracted by any of
'this or that'. you were such a
beautiful bride!
happy anniversary!!
Mercy me ..... we were YOUNG -- AND THIN !!! These pictures are great because they bring back memories.
You are so very blessed and I am SO happy for you both! This was such a wonderful story, thank you so much for sharing such a beautiful time in your life. Even with just a little bit of money, you made the most of it and everything looked beautiful. You made butterflies stir in my heart, just reading your words and that poem. So happy for you Frances! Congratulations and Happy (early) 40th Anniversary! Beautiful post and so very inspiring. :)
always,
Bonnie
Oh Frances, you don't know how happy I am and the joy that I feel upon looking at these beautiful and very memorable pictures. I enjoy each and every picture here. What a beautiful couple you are, then and now. Thank you so much for sharing these pictures and for the poem... Happy 40th Wedding Anniversary to you and Gary! And I wish you more love and more happiness and another 40 x infinity years! Sending you my love and hugs on this special day...
Beautiful photos Frances! Congratulations to you and to Gary :D
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!! XOXOXOXOXO
Oh my Frances...
You were a most beautiful bride, as i knew you would be..... and such a handsome catch!!
Thankyou for sharing your wonderful photos...they made my heart sing!! I feel the love between you and your Gary and am so happy for the both of you. Wishing you much happiness on this very special day!!
Big warm hugs from me to you!!
linda :D
Congrats on 40 years. You look as beautiful today as you did then.
Frances I wish I had been old enough to remember more about that day. I don't think I had ever seen the pictures of you all getting dressed for the wedding. Hope you had a wonderful 40th and that you did something nice to celebrate. Love you sis.
Happy belated Anniversary, Frances! I will be marriedd 36 yeras in the fall. It's hard to believe how quickly those years have passed isn't it? We have been blessed.
All I Can Say is BEAUTIFUL, and CONGRATULATIONS!
Hugs From Idgie
Post a Comment