I know that we are slow in posting but here we are again. I (Mareesha) wanted to share with all of you something that I got to go to in March.
In March my close friends (Carla and Charlie) who I like to call Madre y Padre de Espana celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. WOW!!! That is amazing... They had tried to contact us to invite us, but we had moved, so the invitation did not get to us till the last moment and Chris was not able to attend with me. But it sure was fun going down to California
You see, everyone in that family, I am friends with, all in such a very unique and special way. So when I walked into their house and Charlie was extremely busy and focused and didn’t realize who I was, I smiled and thought to myself, "he'll figure it out in a few minuets." When I walked into where Carla was, she was in a state of sleep and also awake. She looked at me and smiled and started to turn over, and then her body jumped up and reached out to grasp me. I love the feeling of feeling loved! Carla and I went down the hall to knock on Lila's door, she took a minuet to get to the door, but when she opened it her reaction made me feel again, nothing but loved (she is an amazingly smart and gentle young woman). It was at this point when we were all screaming with delight that Charlie comes around the corner and says, "Mareesha?" I loved it! I felt like I finally came home for a long need visit!
That night and the next day, we all (including Lynn another wonderful woman I met who is a friend of the family) worked on finishing up the last minuet details for the party. We made the biggest pasta salad you have ever seen, and had so much food for the party that I was scared that we wouldn't have enough people to eat it. But, if you know the Hunt family.... There are always enough people! The term, "Mi casa es tu casa," (my house is your house) is true to its word. That night Deborah came home from college (wow that is crazy to say) and we were able to spend sometime together. I got to share a room with her, it was so great talking with her.
Well, we all ate Pallea and went to bed extremely late, only to get up early to start the party!!!! We went to church and then took over the sanctuary. There were so many people there to put things together. I loved seeing the community of people who came to love and support them. It felt like we had barely started to decorate when all the people started to arrive for the party. There were a ton of people.....
We spent the next several hours enjoying food (a true "pot luck" I might add) and listening to Charlie and Carla's testimony. There was lots of laughter and even a few tears shed. Everyone who was there were so blessed to be a part of the celebration. After they finished sharing their story, everyone had a chance to share something about Charlie and Carla. I was amazed and at the same time not surprised at all the people who stood up to talk. Even people who in normal circumstance would ever dream of getting up in front of a crowed (and this was a "CROWD"). There was even a guest appearance from their daughter who was (at the time) studying in England
Afterwards, the whole family and a bunch of friends came over to the house (which is called three palms) and spent the night celebrating until the wee hours of the night. Oh and the food.... it got eaten....
Well to make a long post even longer, I just wanted to say that these people are amazing! They have walked through the valley and they are some of the strongest people I know. There are way too many people who give up on their marriages way too quickly. Charlie and Carla are a perfect example of what it means to commit and love one another. I hope that if Chris and I ever have any struggles that we will remember the power of God's love and what it can do.
(To check out some of the photos from the celebration, go to the 30 Years album)
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