Sweet Inspiration

Dave and I just had the most wonderful weekend in Costa Mesa. We were in charge of the marriage retreat for our church and it was so great to celebrate, along with 15 other couples, our serious commitment to a lifetime together.

Among those special couples; Bob and Emilie Barnes - our speakers. With 52 years of marriage behind them, we were all blessed and inspired by their sweet love. Just watching them look at each other with such deep respect and adoration, infused us with a fierce determination to learn their secret. So we soaked them up and hung on every word...

Emilie is a successful author with over 50 books in print. She and I spent time talking about my dream of being a writer. She was my age when she published her first and she encouraged me to pursue my passion but to always be mindful of my first priority - feathering my nest. She fueled my desire to press on with my work, balanced with some much needed perspective. I will always treasure the time she took to mentor me that weekend. We formed a special bond...

During our free time Dave and I stole away to The Wedge in Newport Beach; the place where we got engaged. We took some fun photos and remembered a bit of what life was like at that very spot on the jetty 19 years before. After loving each other for 22 years our relationship remains strong and secure. It has been far from easy many days, but God is blessing our desire to be committed for life.

Bob told a truth within a funny joke one night. He said when you get married you get three rings. An engagement ring, a wedding ring, and suffe-ring. As a result of this simple little retreat, when we hit those inevitable potholes in the road, I think we'll first pray and then find ourselves stopping to ask -

- what our sweet Bob and Emily would do...