FIREWORKS ~ MARRIAGE~ and ~My BeachBoy

FIREWORKS ~ MARRIAGE~ and ~My BeachBoy

We are approaching my very favorite time of the year, 4^th of July week!!  There is nothing like it.  Hot sunny days, waterfront activity, family, cookouts, bonfires and the FIREWORKS on our very own waterfront!!  Over the years we have celebrated this grand freedom week with various traditions.    When the kids were pre-high school years we hauled the boat to Auntie Ann’s cottage on Long Lake near Traverse City and not only took in the 4^th of July festivities in TC, but also the Cherry Festival.  I adored those years.  Twelve years ago we bought our cottage here at Pine Lake and this definitely is a longing fulfilled with the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

I am geeked about FIREWORKS; if you have not figured that out yet.  When it comes to marriage there can be two different kinds of fireworks.  There are the positive fireworks and the negative fireworks. 

Positive fireworks are the kinds that cause you beam inside and out.  The sheer excitement of absolute contentment, joy, pleasure, passion, adventure all wrapped up into one big glorious grand finale of …it just could not get any better than this.  Several things must transpire in us as couples to cultivate the glorious blaze of spectacular fireworks in marriage each day.

·         Environment ~ we have to be willing to create an environment that is conducive for the cause.

·         Attitude ~ you have heard it said it is all in the “tude”, that’s right!  We choose how we will perceive things.  We can look at that cup half full or half empty…it really is up to us.

·         Self denial ~ Blessing and serving one another is contagious.  According to God’s Word we are to build-up and edify one another. 
Romans 14:19(NKJV)
Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. . 

·         Laughter ~ the Bible says:  Proverbs 15:15 b (NLT) …for the happy heart, life is a continual feast. 
Proverbs 17:22 a (NLT)  A cheerful heart is good medicine, …   

Negative fireworks are like those M-6’s people light off and throw near you, when you least expect it; a huge bang that scares the b-geebies right out of you.  Nothing beautiful to look at, no spectacular, only a big bang, and a blow-up that leaves emptiness.  How does this happen in marriage.  Take away all of the above points and you will be prime candidates for a big blow-up of emptiness!

Yesterday Dan and I had one of those moments that could have gone either way.  We could have experienced the big bang or the glorious grand finale.

Dan and I are the truest of “lakers” and he is my beach boy, down to the core!  One of the things that attracted me most to my hubby was his gorgeous natural curly thick locks.  Through our entire marriage Dan’s has had some kind of curls on his head.  Sometimes he keeps them longer but even when he cuts his hair a little shorter, there are still some curls left.  I have styled Dan’s lovely locks before but have never given him a haircut.  I have always left that to the professionals.  However for some strange reason yesterday I decided to give him a haircut.  The more I cut the worse he looked until finally all his hair was shaved off.  Now you must realize our daughters have never seen their Dad with a shaved head and I personally do not think his hair was cut this short even when he was at OCS (Officer’s Candidate School / military).  Leah our oldest daughter was here to witness the damage. We laughed so hard I thought I would pee my pants.  When Dan looked in the mirror other than saying I could never come near him again with clippers….he took it like a real trooper and was happy we got such a good laugh at his expense!  Bless his heart, now you know why I love him so…fireworks happened yesterday and they were the glorious kind!!

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