Discoveries - Forty Five Years of Partnership

This is going to come up a lot this summer.
Ken and I will celebrate 45 years of marriage on August 19.

I know!

We are beyond grateful and truly amazed at the story that's still unfolding for us. It's been anything but idyllic, and truth is, our humanity still irritates the heck out of the whole pursuit of a godly union on a regular basis. (I read this to him just now and he said, 'Yup.')

But also.

Suradet captured this moment when Ken was last in Thailand in the fall of 2019. It's not customary for husbands and wives to show affection in public in Thailand, even holding hands. They were not offended when we did. They thought it was endearing.

I absolutely LOVE this picture. The story of our lives together begins and ends in Southeast Asia in ways so intricate it could only have been orchestrated by a God with a fair sense of humour and a whole lot of love to lavish.

Wong Wai Ching Angela from Hong Kong, in writing about the struggles of Asian women to be heard and the effort made to rethink the way women and men work together in general, says they ...

"came to understand the idea of partnership as an 'open-ended' discovery of life together." (Wong Wai Ching Angela, Hope Abundant: Third World and Indigenous Women's Theology, Orbis Books, 2010).

I LOVE that!!!!

Of course, as in the context of the partnerships Wong Wai is writing about, this applies to the whole gamut of human beings joining hands and moving together toward common preferred futures.

Open-ended, because who knows where God is taking this?
Discoveries, because there's so much out there to still figure out.
Together, because alone we can do so little, truly.

Monday on the bay and the sky is cluttered with generous clouds looking like they might give us more rain as the day goes on. We need it. Everywhere needs it.

And, happily, I have much to get at to be ready for Ken and I to leave for Thailand July 25, plus a few other things happening before and after.

So happy Monday everyone.
May your partnerships be open-ended and full of joyful discoveries today!!