08/08/08

The cool date of 08/08/08 is one I’ve thought about for years.  Now it’s here.  August 8 is our anniversary, and so we always celebrate it on 08/08, but this year, it’s better (especially if you’re intrigued by numbers, as I am).  I suppose it would be better if it were our 8th or 80th anniversary, but 08+08=16, which counts for something.  Here’s something else: Kelli’s sister was married on July 7, and her brother on October 10.  You might think there was some grand scheme.  Actually, there was.  I wanted to get married on August 1, but one of my closest friends stole it from us (and then didn’t come to our wedding; you know there are offenses that are hours old that you completely forget, and there are those things that are simply impossible to ever forget).  But in the Lord’s good timing, we were married on August 8.  We drove up the coast for a five-day honeymoon (recommended stop: Apple Farm in San Luis Obispo), then spent seven days living in my parents’ trailer, and then we moved to Israel with a couple of days in London on the way.  Much of the time we spent together that first year was studying modern Hebrew at our kitchen table.  By the end of that year, I was guiding Chorale around Israel and praying that God would start IBEX (we didn’t know the name, but the plan was formulated).  On 08/08 on our fourth anniversary (1996), we moved to Israel to teach at IBEX.  I can say that God has richly blessed us these 16 years.  God has given me far more than I deserve.

1993