26 Years Ago

Today is January 1, 2020.

26 years ago today, I married my Rob.

He died a little over 3 months before our 18th anniversary

so this is the 9th wedding anniversary I have crossed

without him.

In past years, I've said most of what can be said about

celebrating an anniversary

of something

that doesn't actually exist anymore.

The summation is that it's mostly about the memories.

Last year would have been our Silver Anniversary and I had more to say.

This year, I wasn't sure I even wanted to write about it at all.

But then I looked up what this year's traditional wedding anniversary theme 

would be and I knew I wanted to post something.

The traditional theme for year 26 is PICTURES.

Yep. 

Pictures.

So, if you know me at all, 

you know I couldn't pass that one up!

This morning, while everyone else was still sleeping

(except Anna because she had to get up 

and go back to where she lives now for work),

I got my box of photos for 1994.

I thought that,

if the theme for this year's anniversary is pictures,

I would look through all of the photos from
our first year of marriage.

It has been years since I have done that.

With an "Andy Griffith" marathon running in the background,

I looked through every photo in my 1994 box.

It was mostly fun to look through them.

My Grandma Beck's cancer came back that year

and those photos were sad to look through.

Rob's Nannie Hill passed away and those photos were sad.

But the rest of the year was full of hard work, fun,

milestones, and living our first year as a family.

It was a good year.

I'm glad I took the time to look through them.

In years past on January 1st,

I have posted lots of wedding photos

and lots of photos that have to 

do with our wedding.

This year,

I want to post some that have never made the cut before.

Some photos from the night before the wedding,

the wedding day,

and the days following the wedding.

Just to remember...

This is the tree we had in the church fellowship hall.

I have used those beads on my tree every year since then.

This is my 2019 tree. 

Crystol and Cindy after we finished decorating 

the fellowship hall the night before the wedding.

The day of the wedding.

Remember the rain?

That's what those white specks in this photo are.

Getting ready...

A few from the wedding.

We went to Florida for our honeymoon.

We planned to drive all the way there on the wedding day

but the weather forced a one night stop at Hilton Head.

We then went to Disneyworld.
I had never been before and I was so excited!

Our Disneyworld selfies way before selfies were a thing!

We then went to visit Rob's father
who lived at the beach only
a couple of hours away from Disneyworld.

On the way home, we stopped at the outlet shops
to get Rob a new pair of tennis shoes.

 We also stopped at the South of The Border!

A month or so after we got home,
we decided to take a few photos in my wedding dress
before I had it professionally sealed and preserved.

It has been a fun day looking back at all the memories.
Pictures were the perfect way to remember.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



For those who may want to read them or look at actual wedding photos,
here are the links to the previous years' anniversary posts.

2013
https://jannasview.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-1st.html

2014
https://jannasview.blogspot.com/2014/01/20-years.html

2015
https://jannasview.blogspot.com/2015/01/21-years.html

2016
https://jannasview.blogspot.com/2016/01/22-years.html

2017
https://jannasview.blogspot.com/2017/01/wedding-anniversary.html

2018
https://jannasview.blogspot.com/2018/01/24.html

2019
https://jannasview.blogspot.com/2019/01/silver-wedding-anniversary.html

Merry Christmas! (a little late)

Merry Christmas 2019!

Noel Dec 22, 2019

His range never ceases to amaze me!

"Come and see what God has done!"

I Heard The Bells Dec 22, 2019

Sometimes words fail me.

Luke is 17

For my Luke 

on his 17^th birthday 

today! 

How fast those 17 years have gone by! 

I am so blessed to be your mama 

– to hear your long stories 

– to hear your prayers 

– to hear you laugh

 – to hear you play the piano as I drift off to sleep

– to hear you sing 

– to hear your dreams 

– to be there for your incredible highs 

– to be there for your heart breaking lows. 

I have loved 

being with you 

for every step

of your growing 

and 

have been blessed 

by watching 

as the layers 

of your personhood 

have unfolded 

to make you 

the great human

that you are.  

Happy Birthday, my boy!  

I love you!

Mama

30 Years

Grandma Beck - 95

My Grandma Beck would be 95 today.

She passed away in 1995.

She was a driving force in my world.

In ways that have lived on far past her death,

right 

up 

to 

this 

moment 

in 

time.

When I think of her,

I can still feel 

the unconditional 

love

she offered so freely

to all of those she loved.

She wanted all of those she loved
to "live right"
but when we didn't,
she
loved
us
anyway.
That love never wavered.

And it seems I can still taste

her cooking! 

I don't know if or how earthly birthdays 

are celebrated in Heaven

but I sure hope she's 

having a great one!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What I've written about my Grandma Beck before

in 2013 and 2012...

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Ima Hussey Beck aka Grandma Beck

Today is October 12, 2013.  October 12th was my Grandma Beck's birthday.

Her full name was Ima Hussey Beck.  Her given name was Ima Hussey - no middle name 

- just Ima.

I'm sure she was picked on for that name.  I know people don't usually believe me when I tell them that was her name.  I asked my Grandma Hussey one time why she named Grandma "Ima" while knowing her last name was Hussey.  Grandma Hussey said she just loved the name.

My Grandma Beck would be turning 89 years old today if she were still living.

She died in February 1995 - from cancer - at the age of 70.

So much of my life has been lived without her.  The only child of ours she ever got to meet was Crystol but her strength has been present as I've been raising them all - especially since Rob died and I've been doing it alone. 

You see, my Grandma Beck raised children alone for so much of the time. 

Grandpa Beck left not long after my mother married and my youngest aunt was a baby and he did not come back home until I was almost grown. 

As I was growing up, I watched my Grandma Beck live out her single parent life 

with grit 

and determination 

and grace.

And, even as a child, I knew that wasn't easy to do.

It wasn't until I was an adult that I realized just how very hard and heartbreaking that must have been for her.

But no matter what life threw at my Grandma Beck, I watched as she just kept going and as she always just "did the next thing."

And most importantly, I watched as she NEVER wavered in her faith in God and she NEVER stopped waiting on Him to take care of her!

And He did.  He always did.

I imagine she has thoroughly enjoyed her time with Him since she left this earth 18 years ago.

What joy and peace she must have felt when she was finally in His presence.

I can only imagine.

I still miss my Grandma Beck.  There's so much of all of our lives that I wish she could have been here for but I am so happy that I had almost 27 years with her and I am so happy that she was my grandma!

I am grateful for all of her and her witness and example to me and what she was to all of our family!

And as I'm now living out what life has thrown at me, there are many days that I need to and can remember her example of keeping on going - no matter what - and just "doing the next thing." 

And as I'm raising my children alone, I'm hoping to do it with 

as much grit 

and determination 

and grace as I saw in her.

(photo of both of my grandmas - Caviness and Beck - at my wedding, Jan. 1, 1994)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What I posted about my grandma on April 7, 2012

Saturday, April 7, 2012

My maternal grandmother

Rob is not the only one in Heaven that I miss. 

My grandma has been in Heaven since February 1995.   

My grandma's unwavering faith in God, her hard work throughout her life, and her perseverance - NO MATTER WHAT - were all such great examples to me!  And her homemade biscuits, milkgravy, and her chicken and dumplings were wonderful! 

It's been 17 years - I still miss her so much.   

(Easter 1993)