Yesterday we had our wedding anniversary, in fact this was our 23rd. It is always a special time and one of thankfulness. As you can see we had a visit to Ironbridge, somewhere I had always wanted to go. They say it was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. Our adventures took us a little further…..In true Doug tradition we had a thrifty celebration. In fact when we were dating we were well known for having picnics and the like in all kinds of odd places. Not just picturesque places, but random car parks and lay-bys.
This time we were due to meet Hannah as she was driving the 240 mile journey back home for a week’s holiday. Would you believe she is off sailing (her normal job is a sailing instructor) so it’ll seem like a busman’s holiday. We met her at a service station, just outside Oswestry and then drove back in convoy. A very tiring day but at least we got home safely. I slept like a log and unusually dreamt quite a lot.
While we were wandering around Ironbridge an elderly man came up to me and asked if I’d like him to take a photo of me. We got talking and he explained how he was a local man and in his 80s. He had lived in Ironbridge for the last 50 years and was keen to show me how high the river water level rises.
He pointed out a church, high up on the hill and also pointed to the steep steps leading to it. I asked him what kind of church it was, suggesting it could be an Anglican Church. He didn’t know and I asked him if he had ever been there, or to any other church in the town.
”No, I don’t do religion. I remember being taken to church as a child and it was scary, all those tall, cold church buildings and their uncomfortable pews. No, not for me”
”So does that mean you don’t believe in God? Or perhaps know who Jesus is?” I asked him.
“Nah, they don’t even tell you what colour his eyes were or anything about him”
I asked if the colour of Jesus’ eyes was really important and we continued to chat a little about faith. The conversation naturally concluded after a little while and we parted company. I thought it was strange, at first, how someone would base their whole faith (or lack of) on their childhood impressions of a church, plus not knowing what colour Jesus’ eyes might have been. And then I thought it was probably not that unusual at all. It is so easy for any of us to have our beliefs shaped by childhood experiences – good or bad – and how we must check these assumptions and beliefs as the years go by, especially with such important things in life. I know I need to do that!
Our wedding anniversary also serves as a reminder of the promises we made to each other and how, with God’s strength, we continue to live up to them. We also remember how we have prayed for God to continue being that “third strand in our three folded cord”. This pictures our marriage and is linked to a passage in Ecclesiastes.
Here’s just a couple of other photos from the day:
Waiting at the service station was actually quite funny. Clearly the place for local lads to bring their cars to on a Saturday evening. There were some big 4×4 cars, splattered in mud with the owners crawling underneath tinkering with the mechanics while their girlfriends sat patiently waiting for them. Other lads played with the lights on their cars and worked hard in trying to get the extra LED light show working inside. All quite funny to watch as we waited for Hannah to come in her very uncool 2004 Honda with all of its quirks, scrapes and dents!
