When I was a kid, I loved my birthday when it rolled around every year. Ice cream and cake, presents, parties—July 26 was a lark,surpassed only by Christmas as the year’s most glorious day. Over the years, of course, the excitement over birthday celebration diminished as the inevitable consequence of having many birthdays became more and more painfully evident. My 50th birthday particularly turned me off forever on this idea that aging was something to celebrate! Considering the alternative to growing older, of course, aging has merit, but I believe the downsides are more disturbing.
So then I consider the wedding anniversary. That, too, is a celebrated day that comes around every year. However, I don’t dread my anniversary, and I’m actually proud that the years are increasing, especially when I see the life-wrecks, ugly separations, and marital disappointments that have been so common to couples in in my divorce-prone generation. So I was drawn into reflection this afternoon on the eve of anniversary 46, and I came up with several conclusions that support the idea that anniversaries are superior to birthdays.
To begin, no one chooses a birthday. Not one of us has any control over the date, the circumstances, or the family we’re born into. An anniversary, in comparison, is a chosen date, mutually agreed-upon by the marital pair (in the midst of romantic inclinations!).
Furthermore, there is no commitment on the part of an infant in its act of being born. The baby is totally indifferent toward the mother, the father, or the attending doctors/nurses/midwives. In many respects, being born is a mere act of nature! Marriage, on the other hand, is expressly an act of commitment between the couple on the wedding day. Each year thereafter, the anniversary marks a celebration and a renewal of the commitment.
This final thought may be the best reason that anniversaries are superior to birthdays: A birthday cannot be altered. Not wanting to have the birthday will not change its existence, nor can one be “unborn” by renouncing the date. The anniversary, on the other hand, can be altered, even terminated, by divorce. To the divorcee, the date may only be remembered as a time in infamy, but the union itself can come to a legal end.
As a result, I’m convinced that a married couple that remains committed has all the more reason to celebrate the annual remembrance of the original wedding vows. And the celebration grows richer over the years as relationships mature, as family grows, as the cirlce of loved ones expands around us, as we increase in the wisdom that comes with age and experience.
So for Sarah and me on this year 46 celebration, we should pat one another on the back for a job well done. We chose this date over 46 years ago, and from year to year ever since, we’ve determined to perpetuate it as a wonderful achievement for both of us. I’m tempted to say “Job well done!” on our behalf, but then I realize the job’s not complete! After tomorrow’s celebration, we’ll wake up Monday morning to the first day of year 47. There’s more happy work to be done in this long and happy venture!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, SARAH ANN! YOU STILL ROCK!
A traditional New Orleans po’boy fully dressed includes at the minimum mayo, lettuce, pickles, and tomato. The cost in most respectable restaurants ranges from $12-$18.
So we walked through the Square this morning and found ourselves captivated. We noticed that arts and crafts vendors far outnumbered purveyors of farm produce, so farmer’s market may have been a stretch. Regardless, what I enjoyed the most was listening to the casual banter of the vendors interacting with the patrons, so much of the dialogue rendered in lyrical South Louisiana accents. I even had a brief exchange in French with a Creole matron making change for her friend who was selling gratons (crackling).
So what’s different from the “house of the Lord” comparing the church of my youth to my church today? Today, going to church is much different from going to the country church of my youth. The music is radically different, and our church in Huntsville doesn’t bear a denominational label. Nor does our local congregation meet in a “church house.” Instead, we meet in a leased ball room on a university campus.
I put the wraps on the spring semester this past week. Gave final exams to 3 sections, finished grading, cleared off the office desk, and turned in final grades: this 43rd career year in professional education has reached its term, so now on to summer vacation! 
Posts under the “Humble Rewards” theme run as a thread throughout the ages of Inventio because over the course of almost 44 years in this profession of teaching and learning, I’m ever amazed and gratified when I have encounters with students that remind me of the sobering reality that our work truly touches eternity. And so I had one of those moments last week. A young lady in my 2:00 TTh class had done good work all semester long. I noticed after her last major essay a few weeks ago that her average was holding just above the A/B threshold, so as she paused on the way out of class last week, I tossed her a word of encouragement, stating, “Hey, I noticed you’re hanging on to an A average!”
Lane and his Dad took us on a golf cart ride last weekend. Along the route, Zach put Bubby Bear on the wheel so the little fellow could show off his talents. From Lane’s obvious comfort with the posture of hanging on to the wheel, I could tell that this afternoon was not his first time in the driver’s seat. Of course he wasn’t driving; he was just cute! But he was so delighted with his perception of himself and this glorious moment atop the wheel of a moving vehicle.
Inventio! 