Last weekend we attended the wedding of a precious couple. The Christmas decorations, simple elegance, and even the time of the wedding caused my mind to flash back to a very similar day fourteen years ago when I said, "I do!" to the most handsome man in the world.
Sometimes I find it hard to believe it has been fourteen years. Sitting in that sanctuary on Saturday, it seemed like we just got married! Then again, we have experienced so much that it is hard to comprehend how it could all have been packed into just fourteen years.
If I had the chance to experience December 19, 1998, all over again, I would change only one thing. (And it would not be to remember my toothbrush, because that Wal-Mart stop on the way out of town still makes me smile!) I would say, "I do!" more emphatically. I had no idea that day what an amazing gift I was unwrapping that day. I had no idea how much I would grow in every way simply by joining myself with the man I loved. I could not foresee how beautiful it would be to stand beside him at another wedding fourteen years later, proudly looking back over our journey of fourteen years. If I had known, my enthusiasm would have known no bounds!
By some standards, making a marriage last fourteen years is quite the accomplishment in a society where divorce is so readily chosen. By other standards, though, it is barely the blink of an eye. Either way, I joyfully celebrate those fourteen years. I look forward to the next fourteen, and the fourteen after that.
Thank you, my wonderful husband, for not just standing beside me, but for being one with me for the past fourteen years. I love you! Happy anniversary!
Not Quite Ordinary 