Happy Honeymoon!
Happy Anniversary and Happy Honeymoon to my precious Ryan and Shawntel! I’m thanking God for His perfect match made from heaven. I celebrate them today and the beauty of their beautiful love for each other and all they’ve accomplished together. They married on December 14th and went on their first honeymoon on December 26th, and every year since then, they celebrate another “honeymoon” on that date.
On a leadership call last week, Ryan shared that they took a cruise on their first honeymoon trip. He said that somehow the Captain of the ship found out Shawntel was a former Miss America and invited them to join him and his wife, and three other couples at his dinner table on New Year’s Eve. Sitting beside Ryan and Shawntel was a couple who were like love birds. The captain congratulated them as it was their 50th wedding anniverary. Ryan, sitting next to the man, asked, “This is our first — what’s your secret?” The man paused a few seconds, and said, “Honeymoons”. Ryan said, “Honeymoons?” And the man replied, “On our first honeymoon, we said we’re so incredibly in love, we never want this moment to end. We made the decision we would never have ‘anniversaries’ — we would only have honeymoons. So every year, at this time, we go on a honeymoon and we fall in love all over again. A lot goes on during the year — a lot of challenges, financial woes, ups and downs happen, things that come at you that are just a part of life during that year. But on our honeymoon, every year, we commit to be like we were on our first honeymoon, and we fall in love again — you know — to be in love, go on dates, work together, work on the issues, be purposefully in love the year through.”
Shawntel and Ryan went back to their room and committed to have only honeymoons for then on. So from December 26th to January 2nd, that’s what they’ve been doing — EVERY YEAR. Ryan continued….”This year….like every year before now, we’re going to fall in love again. We’re going to talk about what we’re going to do in 2015 — set our goals and dreams and plan to make this next year one of the best EVER!
And I say, “Good word for each of us. As 2014 is rapidly coming to an end, while we may have had a bumpy road this year and may have experienced hardship, disappointment, ups AND downs and other challenges, let’s put them ALL behind us, and have a honeymoon with ours spouses (if you’re blessed to still have one) ourselves and God, and celebrate what 2015 will hold — yes, there will no doubt be times of challenge, but when we renew our love, faith, determination, zeal, great expectancy and hope…..we will surely make it through to another ‘honeymoon’ as winners and conquerors.” Happy Honeymoon to you and yours!