18 Years of Marriage.
I’m still running around like crazy trying to plan for our first overseas trip.
BUT…
I wanted to pause for a moment.
To pause and acknowledge the man who has stood faithfully by my side for the past 18 years of marriage. To be thankful that he is with me on the journey of raising teenagers.
To stop and smile because he still has my heart.
Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. -Ruth 1:16
When we stood before our pastor, our friends, our family, and our God and declared our vows 18 years ago, we had no idea what was in store for our future.
We didn’t know that we would have three children.
Or that there would be two boys and one girl.
We didn’t know that we would move from our first home in Naples, Florida.
First to a new city in the center of the state, and then to another city on the opposite coast.
Or that we would then cross many state lines and settle down for this season of life in Roanoke, Virginia.
We didn’t know that we would experience heartaches, sicknesses, and deaths.
We didn’t know there would be moments that would test our commitment to each other when life became hard. Those moments when it would be easier to walk away. Those moments when you don’t agree on how life should be done.
But it’s there in those vows.
…for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health.
Marriage is a commitment.
Each person growing and changing.
It takes a choice. Both people have to make that same choice. The choice to stand firm in the words that you spoke.
To find harmony in the ebbs and flows of life.
To love greatly and deeply.
My husband has stood faithfully by my side through my edges of depression, through my moments of anxiety.
He has been my encourager when self-doubt begins to creep in and I begin to tell myself that I am not enough.
He reads my words.
He looks at my photos.
He believes in me even when I don’t believe in myself.
He helps me feel a sense of security when he wraps his arms around me or when he calls me “sweet love”.
He knows me.
He sees me.
And he chooses to love me.
This is not to say that he is perfect, but this is the place where I share who I am, not everything about those who choose to be a part of my life.
He puts his family at the head of the line.
I don’t know if our children see that now.
Teenagers are fickle beasts.
But someday they will know how deeply he loved them and how he has made sacrifices to give them all of the opportunities within his ability to offer.
He has been my partner, my helpmate, my lover, and my friend.
I can’t imagine doing life with anyone else.
Happy 18th Anniversary to the man who makes me smile at least once a day.
I hope that you all find some smiles in your day!
Offer some of your smiles to those you pass.
You never know what kind of difference you may make.
Let your light shine!
Amy
