A 15th Anniversary Haiku

Fifteen years of love.

My bride, my love, my treasure,

Still a rising sun.



Haikus have a way of distilling lots of information into very few words. I can't help but add a few words to expound upon this one. Allow me to be a bit more expressive than normal, if you will.

Yes, my beloved is just beginning her day of brilliance. The sunrise she is at present, so gentle to your eyes, is steadily rising and will soon be painfully glorious. No eye will be able to take it in, except in furtive glances. Her current state a mere hint of what's to come. Her glowing orange, reflecting pinks and blues will soon be fully exposed, bringing heat and light and a tranforming energy that affects everything around her. She is beautiful, yes, but even after 15 years of love she is like a tender shoot, whose flowers have not yet begun to bud. Take a good look at her now, enjoy her contagious goodness, knowing it is just a hint of what's to come.



I can't tell you how glad I am that God gave Anda to me as my wife. I didn't deserve her, and honestly I wasn't even smart enough to know how much I needed her. I thought I was fully self sufficient. Fifteen years of life together has taught me how wrong I was. At times I like to envision what my life would have been like if I had been able to follow though with my noble plan of life-long singleness. I think I would have been a disaster. She has brought me six wonderful children I never could have known without her. She has guarded my back with loving faithfulness, protecting and defending me from unknown dangers as my eyes have tended to focus only on what is immediately before me. She has given herself fully to me as my lover. I know more of the heart of God because of her love. She's smart and humble, gently steering me away from really stupid decisions, and softly planting wisdom in my heart. She's my best friend, and I love spending time with her. I would be very lonely without her.

I don't know what we'll be doing on our 30th anniversary, but I pray for that day to be like this one, filled with a joy which cannot be expressed, and a hope that feels like celebration even as it anticipates the future.