For Better AND For Worse

I often think back to the day when Chris and I got married...22+ years ago.  He was 26 and I was 25 and little did we know about the COMMITMENT we were about to take on.  I think to some degree, we both had a "pie in the sky" idea about marriage.  We pictured ourselves skipping through a field of wildflowers while holding hands...and life was going to be peachy, grand, and easy.  We didn't forsee any struggles in our future.  Our new found love wouldn't allow it.

Well, though we have been very blessed to have such a good and strong marriage, we have certainly encountered some tough times along the way.  The loss of Chris' job 8 1/2 months ago has been no exception. We have been fraught with stress, uncertainty, worry, sleepless nights, the whole gamut.   Yes, we've been each other's biggest support and, often times, greatest annoyance. We're not used to spending every waking moment together...and it's been a quite an adjustment.  However, truth be known, when I look at him, my heart still melts. Oh, I could run away if I really wanted to, but I don't. I could throw in the towel and say to him, "That's it, I'm done!", but I won't.  I could tell him that I don't want to be a part of this, anymore, but I can't...and neither will he.  Want to know why?  Well, you see, I have made a COMMITMENT to Chris and he's made one to me that  regardless of the obstacles life throws our way, we CAN and WILL get through through them....TOGETHER!  I love this man with all my heart and soul...and thanks be to God...he loves me, too!

We take our marriage vows very seriously.  When we pledged before God to love each other through thick and thin, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health...we meant every single word of it.   Never has "bowing out" been an option...and it never will be.  We plan to be happily married for the rest of our lives.

So, the point is that as long as we have each other to rely on and we continue to have FAITH, there is nothing that can tear us down or tear us apart.  We plan to be able to share our love story with our grandchildren one day, hoping it will serve as a firm foundation on which to build their own. Growing old together...we wouldn't have it any other way.

God gave me you for the ups and downs,
God gave me you for the days of doubt,
For when I think I’ve lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true...
God gave me you.

~Blake Shelton~

It's The Little Things...

Last week was a long week. Chris got home on Friday evening after being away since early Monday morning. Having him on the road is nothing new...it's something he's been doing as long as we've been married. Sometimes, it's only for a few days...other times, it's for the entire week.

Nonetheless, as much as I enjoy having the remote control all to myself...I still miss him...A LOT! He just has a way of keeping everything in balance.

Well, when he walked through the door on Friday night, he pulled this beautiful bouquet of flowers from behind his back and gave them to me. I was caught completely off-guard and I was deeply touched! In all of our nearly 20 years of marriage, Chris never fails to show me how much he loves and appreciates me. He's set such a good example and high standard for our daughters. By observing all that he does for me to make me feel special, they're learning what it is to be treated with kindness and respect. Perhaps that will enable them to, one day, find a husband who treats them in the same manner.

They say that diamonds are a girls' best friend. Well, for me, it's the little things that speak to the heart...and matter the most!
"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person." ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook