About 27 years ago or so, my now-husband and I went to Target. After talking to an employee (who I knew since I had worked there for 6 years!), we were given portable scanners and given free rein of the store. I vividly remember my then-fiancee darting in and out of the aisles as if he was James Bond. We were laughing and thinking about our wedding and also registering for wedding gifts.
Among the things we registered for that spring day was silverware. Not as fun as some of the other things we chose, but a necessity nonetheless. We chose a pattern we thought would stand the test of time and then moved on to fun things like towels and shower curtains and blenders.
Fast forward to this past week. I was getting in our "teen" car, a 2003 Rav 4 that is hanging on by a thread. My almost 19-year-old son was driving us home from a college visit, and I looked down on the floor of the passenger seat and saw a fork. And I was suddenly back in Target, registering for our wedding gifts.
I thought of us that day, only a few years older than this man-child who was driving me home. We were so excited about the future: each other, our wedding, our impending move to Colorado, and just the future in general. Everything was wide open - opportunities, joy, and happiness were on the horizon.
I am absolutely positive that I could not have envisioned our beautiful newly-registered-for forks lying on the floor of a beat-up car being driven by our third adult child.
Maybe others are better at picturing what's ahead, but it appears I'm pretty lousy at it. In some vague, other-worldly way, I could dream of children and the deepening love that marriage brings over the years, but I really couldn't foresee it with any detail at all.
So many years have passed since we chose silverware. So much life has transpired. So many years filled with good and hard and everything in between. So much beauty, even in the challenges and sorrow. And I wonder, if God grants us life and marriage and parenthood for another 27 years, what will life look like?
Will I be taken off guard again by a random fork or similar relic of our earlier years? Perhaps being used by a grandchild or great-grandchild?
As I already said, I can't really imagine it. But I do know that God can, and I'm thankful for that. Whatever is in our future, I know God is already there.