I wrote this tribute to honor my parents at their 50th wedding anniversary this year...
December 2012
Dad and Mom,
Today, I want to honor you as a daughter. You honored God’s covenant of marriage and married each other fifty years ago for love. You conceived me in love, planned and prepared for my birth, rejoiced in my coming to your family as a beloved daughter. You raised me and my siblings up in the way of the Lord. You took us to church every Sunday and told us Bible stories that made us fall in love with Jesus.
Mom, I honor you for giving up your career as a teacher to take care of us, your children. You loved us, nurtured each of us from your very breast. You cleaned up our mess when we were too little to clean up after ourselves. When I became somewhat of a rebellious teenager, you stayed up waiting for me to come home. You constantly and tirelessly prayed for me. You have been a shining example of faithfulness and loyalty. You cooked my meals, washed my clothes, and lovingly sacrificed your portion so I can have more. To this day, you have not stopped being my Mom. God has blessed me so much by choosing you to mother me. I carry part of your name, “Clara” which means a brilliant light. That is what God has planned for me to be all along: to be a brilliant light to this dark world just as you were and still are a brilliant light to me and to our whole family.
Dad, you were an excellent provider for us. You worked hard for your family and instilled in all of us the value of working hard and giving our best in our studies. When I was very young, I remember how you spent time with me, fascinating my heart with the creepy, crawly creatures that you brought home from the farm. You brought home frogs, snails, caterpillars, and walking sticks. I grew up without a fear of bugs and I credit my love for nature and all creatures great and small to you.
I will always treasure the times you took us on picnics, field trips, and family vacations. I loved going on pump boat rides with you to visit the seaweed farmers in neighboring islands. You were an explorer, an adventurer, and a world traveler and that is what I have become!
I carry part of your name, too. “Reu” means, “Behold!” It means a wondrous recognition, a unique depth of perception, an invitation to gaze long enough to see beyond the external side of things. Because of this name, I have come to gaze upon the beauty of Jesus and understand His greater purpose for my life. I also know that God has led you and Mom to give me my other name, “Lynn
Before God and all these people tonight, I want to honor you as my parents, to thank you for blessing me with value, identity, and destiny. Tara and I want to bless you and the years still ahead of you with fruitfulness, love, joy, and peace… and God’s grace to finish well.
With love and gratefulness,
Ging
