25 Years and Holding On...
Okay, so our Anniversary is still about a month away, but my time in Church always inspires me to examine the deeper symbolism in the everyday occurrences in my life. Today was Palm Sunday, and I thought a lot about Jesus' triumphant arrival into Jerusalem, which inevitably led to his death on the cross, but also to Easter morning. As Derrick and I approach our 25th wedding anniversary, I thought about how triumphantly we stood before the altar that April day in 1988 in the midst of an ol' fashioned Vermont snowstorm. By God's Grace, we made it through that storm, and all of the ones that have followed, more humble, grateful and a little bit wiser. (Our exteriors may be a little more weathered, worn and warped like our dock too...) I wish I could compose music to express the love and gratitude I feel for our lives together because my husband eats, breathes and thinks in melodies. Me? I can't carry a tune or ever get the words right. And for a man who takes his music, and his calling, so seriously to be able to accept and appreciate all of my faults and foibles, intentional and unintentional, I feel so blessed.
My friend, Erin Swenson-Reinhold said it best in her blog about the "Joys of Marriage" as she reflects on a similar dynamic in her own marriage when two different people merge into one life and relationship. This can be "...quite a challenge... Merging these two paradigms (Internal Processor- Derrick, the introvert and External Process-Moi, the extrovert) has been a growth process for both of us through the years. There are times when we do better at listening to and hearing each other...there are times that we fail miserably. Fortunately, the grace lies in the fact that (we) have chosen to love each other in spite of our differences. We have chosen to push ourselves out of our natural comfort zone to try and understand the other...particularly during difficult times of life" (http://dinnerinflorida.blogspot.com). To put it another way, I feel like our marriage and our resulting family are kind of like skipping rocks. We are all so different that the force of our interactions creates momentum. That spinning effect we have on each other actually stabilizes us and keeps us afloat, so we don't sink beneath the waves on a daily basis. Through the love, grace and forgiveness my husband, and now our sons, extend to me each day (along with some healthy doses of laughter), I truly believe that we are helping each other reach Heaven and achieve Salvation along the way.
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| (Holly Hobby Photography) |
