I like the song by Mercy Me, “Dear Younger Me,” but lately I’ve been thinking about the opposite.
What if I wrote a letter to the older me…about the things I really want to remember?
This question was prompted by watching videos of myself. You see, James and I celebrated our 17th anniversary this past week. We plugged in our old camcorder to our TV. We watched clips of our younger selves in March of 1998. We laughed until we cried!
We looked a lot different then, and I’m not just talking about wrinkles or hairstyles!
We were madly, wholly, passionately, crazily in love.
We were dripping with schmoopy love.
We were glued together.
Our heads touched as we talked. I was constantly stroking his hands. He was constantly looking at me with a dreamy, drunk expression and kissing me on the cheek as I spoke.
James said with a smile, “When we were dating, I was like Hercules in your eyes.”
That’s true.
And year later, I still want it to be true.
As I watched my younger, more romantic, happier (yes, happier!) self on the screen, I made a mental note to myself. “You’ve got to be more like that 26-year-old girl. You’ve got to keep kissing your man and looking at him with dreamy eyes. You’ve got to fall in love with him over and over again.”
When I take just a moment and go back to those dating days (and how amazingly special it was to finally find THE ONE), my heart can still skip a beat when the garage door opens upon his return.
Dear Older Me,
Whenever things get stale or you start taking your man for granted, watch the videos from your courtship and remember what that felt like. Remember what life was like before you met James. Take care to kiss him and look at him with bright, loving, admiring eyes. Stroke his hair and whisper in his ear. Look forward to a long kiss at the end of a long day. Dress up and wear lipstick and look pretty.
Pray together because God is the glue that keeps a marriage strong. Laugh with each other and invite people over who enjoy the same sense of humor. Rejoice in the husband of your youth and always give thanks for him.
Imagine what life might like without him, and then you will realize the sacredness of each day with him.
Love,
Arlene – January 9, 2016
The Psalmist prays in Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Maybe you’d like to take a moment and write a “Dear Older Me” letter to yourself?
