To My Love

Today marks the day of my ten year anniversary of my marriage to my wonderful husband. I can't believe it has been ten years.

You probably expect me to say that the last ten years has been 10 years of pure bliss. I had an ideal image of marriage when I was younger. I had a view of a perfect husband who would never get mad, have exuding confidence, have all of the answers for raising kids, and when we faced 'the hard times' everyone spoke of we would simply just grit our teeth together and get through it. When we were engaged Brian even spoke to his older co-workers and explained that he could never imagine getting upset with me. They laughed a bit and told him to give it time. Brian and I chalked it up as us being so different from everyone else. haha.

I could never have imagined marriage to be as hard as it is and I never could have imagined it to be this rewarding. I suppose it is through learning to perfect ourselves through hours and hours of communication and through numerous experiences that bind us together if we let them.

We have had many of those shared experiences this past year. A few I want to recall and want to have record of them so I will never forget them.

Looking at him through the back of an ambulance window, watching him cry and talk frantically to people on the phone while he was driving behind us.

Both of us falling asleep with our hands held after an unexpectedly long night of labor that wasn't over. And being relieved that everyone was okay when they examined the obviously torn placenta.

Holding him in the bathroom of his parent's house while we wept after Brian gave his dad a blessing to leave this world.

Watching him try to handle a wife with a new child and a heart broken mother and trying to help everyone who asked him because he can't stand it when others are suffering.

Seeing him willingly take his turn to sleep over at my grandma and grandpa's house to help if it was needed for my dying grandpa.

He let me buy goats. Need I say more?

Walking out of the St. George hospital with his mom's dusty purse after a tear filled, long drive to St. George.

Watching him at a mortuary cry over the body of his mother the day after she died and be in complete disbelief that we would be doing this all again so soon.

Seeing him cry for his grandmother who just lost her daughter.

Having him take me to Florida to celebrate our anniversary. He made me wait at the threshold because he wasn't going to mess that up again. haha. And then he gave me a necklace that I never would have bought myself, but I treasure it now because it is from him.

Watching him endure 5 days of amusement parks on our 'break.' Haha.

Totally enjoying the lazy river at our hotel and seeing his expert skills at catching lizards while we reminisced about the last 10 years of our life.

I chose him. He chose me. And we keep choosing each other. Because of that we have several experiences together and I love him more than I ever thought I was capable of loving another human being.

A poem that sums up the last ten years:

If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee.
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me, ye women, if you can.

I prize thy love more than whole Mines of gold
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that Rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee give recompense.

Thy love is such I can no way repay.
The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
Then while we live, in love let's so persevere
That when we live no more, we may live ever.

-- Anne Bradstreet