He had one other surprise up his sleeve, as well. He had made a donation to the ministry there in my honor, and in return, they placed a lovely brick on the walkway to the river.
Due to to the fact that he married a woman who is not always watching where she's going, my beloved had to stand over said brick and cough loudly several times before I finally saw it. But, when I did, I was astounded.
Our name. For all to see.
Only, it wasn't always my name. My maiden name was Davis. Quite simple and easy to spell. Now, it's von Atzigen. Quite difficult all around.
Seeing it there in print reminded me of a sermon my husband preached a couple of years ago about the joys of changing your name to "Christian" when you become a follower of Jesus. I think I can relate to the fact that it can be difficult to change your identity, to take on a new name. But, I will also shout it from the mountains that it's worth it.
Being known as HIS is worth it.
It's worth every little piece of sacrifice. Because HE is worth it.
From the author: If you have a few minutes, I invite you to listen to this humorous excerpt of that message as my husband invites me to explain just why it's worth it....
Click here to listen. (recording is about 6 minutes long) You may wish to scroll to the bottom of this page and pause the music before you link to the message.