On Wednesday Mum and Dad celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary!!

They opened letters from the Prime Minister and the Queen.

Kate made a lovely cake, and then we watched the 10 minute presentation that I had put together with photos from their seventy years together. The first song that played during it was ‘Let me call you sweetheart.’ Brought tears to a few eyes. How amazing to think that those 80 photos are just the tiniest glimpse into their life together. How many memories does seventy years together create? Too many to count. It makes me think of the verse in Psalm 139 that talks about God’s thoughts towards us outnumbering the grains of sand.

It was a wonderful afternoon. How I thank God for my beautiful parents; for the wonderful home they raised us in; for the encouragement and the love they always showed us; for the amazing example of what true love really looks like… oh boy, it makes me teary to think of all they mean to me.
Thank You, Lord, for my amazing parents.

For those of you interested, I’ll paste here the article the newspaper ran about them…

Evan and Leone Harris Celebrate 70 Years of Marriage

Evan and Leone Harris of Kara Rd, Maungatapere, celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary on July 17th, 2013.
The couple met during World War Two in the Territorial Army in anti-aircraft regiments at Nelson aerodrome. Evan then joined the NZ Air Force so they could enjoy an extra year together while he trained in Rotorua. In 1944 he was commissioned to Liverpool for further training. He travelled on a cargo ship which zigzagged across the Atlantic on an erratic course in order to avoid enemy submarine fire.  While in the UK he transferred to the Fleet Air Arm.
After the war, both Evan and Leone trained as teachers and went on to teach at Dilworth School in Auckland for eleven years.  In 1963 they moved to Popondetta, Papua New Guinea to teach at an Anglican mission station. In the years following, they both taught in various schools in Northland including six years at Kerikeri Christian School.
One of the highlights of their long life together is the time they spent in Kaeo, where they had an open home. Many people came through their home; some stayed just for a meal and a bed for the night, others stayed for several years.
The couple have four children, 19 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren.
“Family is so precious to us,” says Mrs Harris. “We live in a cottage on our daughter and son-in-law’s farm. We are surrounded by family and love being involved in the lives of our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Both Evan and I are 91 now, and we are so grateful to God for the wonderful life we are still enjoying.”
In recent years Mr Harris has been his wife’s full time carer after she suffered a small stroke. This he has done with great joy. “I am thankful that I’m fit and able to fulfill the vow I made to Leone all those years ago when I promised to love her for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health.”
Mr Harris says that successful marriages don’t just happen, they are built. “When you share your life with someone, there will be hard times, hurts and misunderstandings. But with commitment and forgiveness, our love will continue to deepen and grow. As we learn to communicate and forgive, we can discover the rich blessings that God ordained when He created marriage.”