Brian and I will be attending two weddings within the next two weeks. I love weddings! What a joyous occasion, to see two young people so much in love and so excited about what their future holds as a couple.
We had a great sermon this past Sabbath about marriage (mainly, the church's marriage to Christ, at His return), and seeing some old friends along with that really made me start reminiscing about our wedding.
I was SO young then! (weren't we all?) And skinny - but we won't go there. And Brian had hair! But we won't go there, either.
I remember being absolutely terrified as I stood in the back room of the hall, awaiting my turn to walk down the aisle. All the bridesmaids had gone, to do their turn at walking to the front... and I was alone. That was when it hit me - what am I doing?! Do I really know what I'm getting into here? But those thoughts only lasted a minute, once I thought of that handsome young man waiting for me at the front of the hall. He loved me; he respected me; he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. Wow!
But, no, I didn't know what I was getting into. I didn't know that, with each year that passed by, I would love him more and more. I didn't know that our lives would become so completely intertwined as one that I can't even begin to imagine my life without him. I didn't know that the hard times we would face together wouldn't always bring us closer, but they would always make our faith stronger. I didn't know that, twenty-two years down the road, we would be childless but embarking on a journey of adoption.
No, I certainly didn't know all that I was getting into, but I'm glad I got into it anyway! Marriage is definitely NOT an easy road. Anyone who tells you that it is, probably hasn't been married very long! There will be those times when the pair of socks that missed the hamper and has been laying there for five days will REALLY work your last nerve! There will be those times when you feel like you take second place to his job, or when he forgets your birthday, or when he doesn't recognize that you have had a terrible day and just want to cry on his shoulder.
And there will be those times when you fail to realize that he just wants to be left alone for a bit when he gets home from work, or you forget that he really has a hard time "just listening" without offering a solution to your problem. Or when he's not sure whether he should do the dishes or not, because the last time he did them you weren't very happy about it.
But I wouldn't trade him, or our twenty-two years together, for the world. (I hope he would say the same about me, but don't ask him... just in case!) He's my best friend, my main squeeze, my problem solver, my big-bug-killer and my very own knight in shining armor. And I'm glad we are on this journey of life, marriage, adoption and God's Kingdom together. There's no one I'd rather share it with!
We had a great sermon this past Sabbath about marriage (mainly, the church's marriage to Christ, at His return), and seeing some old friends along with that really made me start reminiscing about our wedding.
I was SO young then! (weren't we all?) And skinny - but we won't go there. And Brian had hair! But we won't go there, either.
I remember being absolutely terrified as I stood in the back room of the hall, awaiting my turn to walk down the aisle. All the bridesmaids had gone, to do their turn at walking to the front... and I was alone. That was when it hit me - what am I doing?! Do I really know what I'm getting into here? But those thoughts only lasted a minute, once I thought of that handsome young man waiting for me at the front of the hall. He loved me; he respected me; he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. Wow!
But, no, I didn't know what I was getting into. I didn't know that, with each year that passed by, I would love him more and more. I didn't know that our lives would become so completely intertwined as one that I can't even begin to imagine my life without him. I didn't know that the hard times we would face together wouldn't always bring us closer, but they would always make our faith stronger. I didn't know that, twenty-two years down the road, we would be childless but embarking on a journey of adoption.
No, I certainly didn't know all that I was getting into, but I'm glad I got into it anyway! Marriage is definitely NOT an easy road. Anyone who tells you that it is, probably hasn't been married very long! There will be those times when the pair of socks that missed the hamper and has been laying there for five days will REALLY work your last nerve! There will be those times when you feel like you take second place to his job, or when he forgets your birthday, or when he doesn't recognize that you have had a terrible day and just want to cry on his shoulder.
And there will be those times when you fail to realize that he just wants to be left alone for a bit when he gets home from work, or you forget that he really has a hard time "just listening" without offering a solution to your problem. Or when he's not sure whether he should do the dishes or not, because the last time he did them you weren't very happy about it.
But I wouldn't trade him, or our twenty-two years together, for the world. (I hope he would say the same about me, but don't ask him... just in case!) He's my best friend, my main squeeze, my problem solver, my big-bug-killer and my very own knight in shining armor. And I'm glad we are on this journey of life, marriage, adoption and God's Kingdom together. There's no one I'd rather share it with!