Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Happy Anniversary Baby!

Today marks the 25th Wedding Anniversary to my beloved husband, DC.
   So what does twenty-five years look like in tangible terms? Well, for the Fosters it’s two kids, four cats and one dog. It’s ten houses, eight cars, one vacuum cleaner, three coffee pots, two toasters, five televisions, three gas grills, two washers & dryers and three queen-size mattresses.
   What does twenty-five years of marriage look like intangibly? Of course it looks different to everyone, but the short list from my perspective looks like this:
  • It’s the ebb and flow of forgiving one another.
  • It’s the continual battle against selfishness and self-centered behavior.
  • It’s loving each other through those times when quite honestly, we don’t even like each other.
  • It’s being committed to one another regardless of ____________.
  • It’s the acceptance that we will not always be young, vibrant and beautiful. Our skin sags, our hair grays and our stride slows. The bathroom scales remind us that we are no longer lean and trim; the mirror laughs at us and whispers that we are becoming our parents in more ways than one.  
   As we’ve been married these twenty-five years, I realize more than ever that marriage is more about the journey than the destination; it’s trekking through life with another human being who encourages you to be the best you were created to be. It’s a journey most enjoyed hand-in-hand, laughing often and gazing forward with optimism rather than looking behind with regret.
   Marriage is stamping our passport with triumphs and disappointments, with joys and sorrows. It’s filling up our scrapbook with all those precious and special things that make our lives together uniquely ours and proof that our lives were well-lived.
   Marriage is having faith that the God who brought us together twenty-five years ago will carry us through for the next twenty-five years. It is trusting that God’s plan and timing is always perfect and accepting that we’re not promised twenty-five more years.
   Happy Anniversary DC - I'm blessed to have been your traveling companion on this journey with you and I look forward to seeing what we'll stamp in our passports in the years to come!