grow old with me

Now, I’m not sayin’ my Love is old….but he did hit the half century mark. I’m teasing, of course, because I’m just a year behind him and I’m definitely not old. I enjoy this sweet verse by Robert Browning (good thing I’d double-checked because I was positive this was written by someone else. You can read the whole poem here):

This is just the first stanza of the poem:

Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in His hand
Who saith “A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!”

I can honestly say that there is much truth in this. My love and I were young when we got married. We’ve had bad times and worse times, good times and great times. The circumstances are not what makes “the best…yet to be.” It is the maturing of love and relationships.

New relationships tend, to a certain extent, to exhibit some reservation. At least in my experience. As friendships evolve, as marriages blossom, there is more freedom in expressing yourself, knowing that there is acceptance and security.

My love can still make my heart skip a beat with a single look, yet there is a lovely ease of just being…who I am and how I’m feeling. I am so very thankful for the changing seasons of love: the headiness of new, romantic love, the comfort and discovery of growing love, and the steadiness and depths of mature, enduring love.

What a privilege to stand beside my husband, working alongside him, raising children, living life and growing old(er) together. Our marriage is not without its ups and downs, but (at the risk of sounding cliché or sappy), how I thank the Lord for giving me the Love of my Life.

Grow old with me! The best is yet to be.

I would have liked to have had more of a celebration with my Love, but he prefers to keep it low key when it comes to his birthday. All he really wants is the cake his mother always made him. It’s an orange chiffon cake with a whipped cream, pineapple and cherry frosting. It is not super sweet, tastes light and is quite delicious.

I used this recipe for Orange Chiffon Cake. It’s pretty time consuming and I really wish I’d had my KitchenAid mixer; but alas, it is in the great abyss of storage…along with my tube pan, but I was easily able to borrow one of those. I would probably not bake it for quite so long next time. When it’s cool, cut the cake into 3 layers and frost it with my mother-in-law’s recipe:

Pineapple-Cherry Whipped Frosting

Cook the following together on medium-low heat until thickened:

1 14 oz. can of crushed pineapple
1 4 serving package of instant vanilla pudding

Whip:

1 pint of whipping cream

Cut up:

¼ cup of maraschino cherries

Fold together when pineapple mixture is fully cooled.

*This frosting is equally delicious with an angel food cake (store-bought, even)…which I confess my Love often gets for his birthday, instead of the orange chiffon.

Et…voila…