Today is my fourteenth wedding anniversary in total, and the sixth that I will spend without my bride.
We were engaged on Valentine’s weekend 1999 and married 51 weeks later on February 5, 2000. I remember being nervous on January 31, 1999 because of the hype over Y2K. I just knew that some computer glitch was going to set off a series of world disasters and delay our wedding. Thankfully, that didn’t happen.
At times, I worry that I write or speak about Jill too often. I’m afraid people will start thinking that I’m stuck in the past or can’t get on with my life.
But according to the Bible, the marriage I enjoyed for eight years is not the type of thing you “get over.” Instead, Proverbs 31:10 tells me that an excellent wife is more precious than jewels.
Those verses in Proverbs 31 remind me so much of Jill. She had a special gift for making people feel loved. Her work as a nurse was marked with unselfish labor. Her patients knew she cared about them. Nursing was a calling to Jill, not just a job.
Perhaps that’s why she was such a great nursing instructor. Although she had a reputation as “the hard teacher,” her students had great respect for her in the classroom.
But, her labor didn’t end there. In her time away from the hospital and the classroom, Jill worked diligently to make our house a home. For many college students, Jill’s hospitality (and chocolate chip cookies) made for a welcoming environment.
Between her discipling ministry with college girls in our home and her work with our ministry on campus, Jill was a “full-time” minister. I learned so much from her about serving, loving, and disciple-making.
As verse 29 states, “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”
And so, while I miss her greatly, I can take joy in the wonderful blessings Jill bestowed on me, her patients, her students, her friends, and her family.
Verse 28 says, “Her children rise up and call her blessed.” I’m so proud of the fact that as Bryce grows up and learns more about Jill, he will have every reason in the world to praise God for his mommy! Until then, I won’t feel bad at all about speaking up. After all, the rest of verse 28 says, “her husband also, and he praises her.”
So, on our fourteenth anniversary, I want to “let her works praise her in the gates” (v. 31).
Thankfully, one day I’ll get to praise her again face to face.
I’m so proud of you babe and I love you with all my heart. Bryce and I miss you greatly!