Date Night

Been thinking about our "Date Nights." When you've been married for 52 years, and dated two years before that, it adds up to a lot of Date Nights!
How they have progressed and changed. We've been through a lot of phases.

Dating before marriage usually consisted of dinner out, since I was not allowed to go to movies, and it was a top priority of mine to honor my parents. After all, that's the first commandment with a promise - "....that your days may be long on the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee."

(We were a King James family, too!)

Married, and on our honeymoon, I saw the first movie of my life. OKLAHOMA! It was great, and I was hooked.

Then Don went into the service, and one of his patients was the ticket taker at the movies. He let us in free, and in those days at the PX theater it was only twenty-five cents anyway. But one of the objections to movies that I heard all my life was that we were supporting a lifestyle that was anything but godly. So with a free movie, I didn't think I was supporting anything. Boy, how I wish my parents had taught me to make choices in entertainment. This was before the days of ratings, and even that can be deceiving.

Date night became dinner out and a free movie!

Once out of the service and with a young family, we began having date nights in the evening with a babysitter. This was the '50's and early '60's. It was always great to get away for a while, but we usually spent dinner talking about the children. I loved to tell Don all the warm and funny things they had done.

Date night was dinner out, a movie, and a babysitter!

Then we gave up date night for a long time (at least it seemed like it to me) because the children were growing older and we "wouldn't have them with us forever." Used the same excuse for vacations. "They'll probably not want to come with us when they get in high school, so we'd better be sure to have a nice family vacation now!" They still come with us now and then, and the last time we were all together on vacation was in Oceanside with 4 condo timeshare units. It was a great time to remember.

Date night was everybody all together, eight adults, eight grands. This stage was rare.

After that, we began to be too tired to go in the evenings anymore.

Date night became lunch and a matinee.

Now, with Don on a 24/7 oxygen tube, and even less energy and more pain we have entered into another phase. We've joined Netflix, and have a ton of choices at our fingertips. We love the historical fiction movies and have watched a wonderful series on the establishment of the Israeli nation. As soon as we return one DVD, another comes! Our queue stays about 20 ahead, so there are a lot of dates out there. The big flat screen TV in the bedroom is great for viewing and one of the few pleasures Don still has.

Date night is Take Out and a Netflix movie.

How thankful I am that I have a date! Phil. 4:11 has become a reality, and I am resting in it, and content in this state. It may not be the last, so I had better learn the concept well. What blessings we have - each other, and breath with which to Praise God - each day!