Fresh Start Devotionals

“Forever Friends” For months, I’ve been trying to find just the right gift for our 20th anniversary this May. For some reason, anniversaries in multiples of five have greater significance, and I wanted to do something really nice for Susan, but didn’t know what to do. Over Thanksgiving, I drove Susan’s folks up to Hayward, to show them the spot in the Japanese Gardens where I’d proposed to their daughter. Susan and I hadn’t been back there since that fateful day two decades ago, so it was a real treat for us to return. In the garden, we discovered monuments placed in memory of loved ones that were situated among the manicured shrubbery, flowers and water displays. The next week, I called the Hayward recreation department to find out if I could purchase a monument for them to place near the bridge where I proposed to Susan in honor of our anniversary. They agreed, and told me the price and the amount of words that could fit on the granite stone. After several drafts I settled on: Jim & Susan Wilson “Forever Friends” Married in Hayward, CA May 15, 1982 I placed the order, using the church’s address on the correspondence so that the confirmation would come to the church, not the house. Unfortunately, they took the address off of the check, not the letterhead. The confirmation letter arrived at our house while I was out of town. And of course, Susan opened the letter and found out what her gift was in advance, ruining the surprise. But I still hope she likes the gift. It is the best I could think of to express to her how I feel about our relationship. She’s the best friend I’ve ever had. I’m a blessed man to have a wife who is my “Forever Friend.” Jim L. Wilson, Fresh Start Devotionals (Fresno, CA: Willow City Press, 2009).