When we were little kids, every birthday was a big deal. Older was always better, and when someone asked our age, we didn’t just say “six” or “eight.” It was “six and a half” or “almost nine.”

Numbers are important to children. I remember hearing a conversation between our Linnea and her friend Nancy when they were 5 and 6. The girls were in a discussion where one was trying to top the other. Nancy said, “I bet my dad is older than your dad. He’s 50!”

Linnea, wanting to throw out a number higher than that said, “Yeah, but my dad weighs more than yours!” Both were right, so each was satisfied. In the minds of children, bigger is always better.

We adults consider numbers to be important, too, though we’ve learned that bigger isn’t always better, as in high blood pressure, high risk investments, high taxes.

We like numbers because they’re a tangible way to check on our progress through life. How many miles per gallon is my car getting? How much will that plane ticket cost me? How many calories are in that dessert?

Some numbers, though, outweigh others: birth dates, death dates, marriage dates. Brooke and Klaus have been married 19 days now, and as the weeks pile into months and then years, 2013 will always be significant to them. They’ll forever see that number as momentous, the year when they officially, legally, willingly altered their status from individuality to togetherness, single to married. If they have children someday, 2013 will be an important groundwork year for their whole family.

This weekend a knock on our front door brought something unique to our newlyweds, a numbers-oriented wedding gift from good friends Justin and Krystal. They delivered a hand-made plaque made of sturdy wood and edged with rope, measuring 30” wide. It simply says, “Nyman, EST. 2013” and will be a constant reminder to Brooke and Klaus of their foundational year.*

This good-looking gift is exceptional in two ways: it was made by the hands of their friends, and it recognizes the value of long-term marriage. Dating a plaque with the year rather than month and day assumes the couple will be stockpiling lots of them.

In 2023 they’ll celebrate 10 years together. In 2038 they’ll have a party marking 25 years, and in 2063 it’ll be a 50-years-married blow-out. Maybe they’ll bring Buster and Krystal’s plaque with them to the party that day so as their guests walk in the door, it’ll be the first thing they see, a reminder that it all began waaaay back in 2013.

“They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.”  (Psalm 112:7)

* [The fish logo is a topic for another day.]