When I was only 19 my Dad gave me away. He did so without reservation because he KNEW the good man that he was giving his daughter to. When Dad walked me toward my husband, I KNEW this was for life. I had that peace that goes beyond comprehension. It was a good day.
We did things a bit bass ackwards, because our oldest son was nine weeks old on our wedding day. Funny thing is, I wouldn’t change a thing. Our oldest remains one of our greatest blessings to date. He is such a wonderful leader.
I’ll never forget the morning that I realized we were going to have a second child. I had a NINE MONTH OLD baby, and I was barely 20. Boy was I scared. As people found out, I cannot tell you the amount of rude comments I received. They all could have been summed up in the following statement: “You know what causes that, right?”
I would just laugh with them, then go home and die. Figuratively, of course. If I had half the confidence then that I do now, I would have responded in a way that goes something like this: “Why yes I do as a matter of fact. And when I was doing what causes this with my husband, it was freaking awesome!”
Our second son brought us together. He helped fuse his parent’s hearts in an unexplainable way. The winter he was born, there was a terrible snow storm, so my husband’s best friend stayed with us for a few days in order to be able to get to work. One evening, the three of us were talking while I had our newborn in my arms. I’ll never forget what was said (paraphrased), “Marriage is great, but there’s nothing like having kids to take it to the next level. Something way deeper than surface level stuff.” I know that both my husband and I said different parts of that, but couldn’t tell you who said which part. (And the two shall become one, right)?
About two years later, I was ready for another baby. This time, we tried and got pregnant a second later. When we found out it was a girl, I couldn’t hold back my excitement. Finally a comrade!!! Our daughter is nothing short of wonderful, but the girl screamed from week three to six months of age NON STOP unless she was sleeping. My world blew up and I’m just now putting it back together. I’m not kidding. Much.
In all seriousness, our daughter is such a great person. She has taken on her role as a wife and a mother with such grace. I admire that.
I never really knew what it meant to be someone’s wife. (My fault for not watching my mom more closely). I got lost in the whirlwind of becoming a mom, then a teacher. I never truly focused on my husband like he deserved. Yet he has stayed by my side through it ALL. The good, the bad, and the ugly. And let me tell you, I can only imagine how ugly it is to watch your wife try to claw her way to being top dog in the relationship for 27 years.
I’m thankful I know my role now, and it’s a beautiful one. I have been working diligently to become the wife I was meant to be. I have fallen more times on this journey than I’m willing to admit, but the two of us have remained faithful to one another for almost 28 years. That’s gotta count for something, right?
We have a picture in our dining room that says, “The Best is Yet to Come.”
And I believe it is…
Life as I Know It 