Reflecting on Seventeen Years!

Seventeen years ago yesterday, I walked an aisle and married a man.

It seems like just yesterday and yet it seems like a million years ago instead of just seventeen. I think I thought all of life's ills and troubles were over, the hurdle of finding a life partner was done and only good times lay ahead for us. I think every bride and groom think that, don't they?

Ours has been a full life together, we have not been sheltered from trouble, we have not been isolated from loss, hardship or death. We have enjoyed laughter, fun and good times as well. Together we have seen a miracle happen with the birth of our daughter and yet, we are human and frail and sometimes forget how blessed we are in this life of ours. He has made mistakes, I have made them too. If you want a blissful, happy, carefree example of marriage...please don't look at us. We are real people with a real life.

I wish the sentiment, "and they lived happily ever after" was all I had to write today. Wouldn't it be nice if life was like the fairy tales, but we all know better. I can't write that today, because it doesn't adequately sum up a life together. I have learned through the circumstances of my life, and the circumstances of my married life that if not for the hard times, the sad times, the lonely, desperate times...then those happy times would mean nothing. If I were not reminded every now and again by life's experiences, I would take every happy moment for granted, never realizing how precious it truly is, never knowing what a treasure it is and how lucky I am to live it.

I prayed for and the Lord blessed me with a life partner, I take that gift for granted far too much. I find myself quick to judge and blame and fuss about him, but as I hold the mirror up to my own self, I know that I am far from the wife I should be. That is the wonder of marriage; the comfort, if that is indeed the right word, that we are committed to working it out, despite our flaws, faults and failures.

Our marriage was not completed by a ceremony seventeen years ago yesterday. The ceremony celebrated our desire to continue life together and gave us a great party to start us off. Marriage is the journey and not the destination. Sometimes it is smooth and happy, other times it is a bumpy ride, but even through the bumps in life, I think it is worth it. Marriage is hard, I think it is supposed to be...I think it is supposed to make us into better people...at least that is my hope.

So once again, happy anniversary to my hubby, sometimes I wonder why I put up with you...and then I remember, it is because you put up with me too!

Living Happily In the Moment
Beverly