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Like most couples, the top tier of our wedding cake was placed in the freezer after our reception.

Unlike most, my husband and I decided that we wanted to pull our little cake back out for our one-month anniversary rather than wait until we celebrated our first-year anniversary.

We made the decision to do this after hearing from other friends how their wedding cake dried out when they waited a whole year; as is the tradition. We did not want that to happen to our cake as it had been too good to let go to waste.

That first month passed quickly as we adjusted to our new lives together. We were like two kids figuring out things along the way that we never had needed to deal with. It is a time both of us have cherished in our memories since those first days as man and wife.

Coinciding with our first, month anniversary of wedded bliss was my mom and dad’s 30th wedding anniversary. Somehow, the plans came together for us to go out to eat with my parents in order to celebrate our special milestones together.

The history my husband and I shared was so short compared to the longevity my parents shared. It was perfect on so many levels to share this special night with them.

It was a like bridging the gap between the old world I once was a part of with my parents with the new one that I was still becoming accustomed to with my new husband and life.

My parents had many bricks placed in the life they had built while my husband and I were still just mixing the mortar.

My parents came to our apartment the night of their pearl anniversary and we rode with them to the restaurant. We enjoyed a meal at what used to be Ryan’s Steak House on Market Street in Greensboro.

After eating dinner, we returned to our apartment where the top tier of our wedding cake had been thawing. We planned to use the cake to celebrate not only our first month as husband and wife, but also use it as my parents celebrated their 30 years together.

Growing up, I know I took it for granted the blessing that my parents were together. Looking back, I realize just how special they were to have made their marriage work through the good times while holding on when the days were less-than-perfect. Their marriage became a model of how two people become one at the time they say, “I do”.
My dad was very protective of his family, especially in caring for his wife, which would kick into overdrive when my mom was not feeling well.

He worked each and every day to provide for his family’s needs. Likewise, my mother worked hard each day to make sure there was a meal my dad liked on the table and that our clothes were clean.
She protected his time and loved him dearly. They both worked hard together to make things work as they created a safe, happy home to live.

Many years have passed since my husband and I first began building our own lives together. God has used the times we have experienced — bad and good — to teach us about Him and about each other.

Both of us have had times of being knocked over by the blessing it is to have a spouse who meant every word of the vows they spoke on their wedding day. While it is never perfect, it can be overwhelming at times to feel the impact of being loved by someone who meant it when they said they would stand by your side in sickness and in health and for better or worse.

That night in January, so many years ago that we celebrated with my parents was about more than just sharing the top tier of our wedding cake, it was about celebrating with people who were teaching us firsthand exactly what a good, loving, marriage looks like, especially after the trials of life have refined it into a precious gem.

Linda Vestal is a wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend living in Gibsonville. Contact her with comments or story ideas at lindavestal@triad.rr.com.