A Good Marriage

Our eight year wedding anniversary today – it seems a lifetime and a blink of an eye. I hardly remember life without Jeff and the kids in it but at other times I look at my life and wonder, “Whose kids are these and why are they talking to me?”

Of course, I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world. I love being a wife and mother – among other coveted titles – and I like getting to know myself better as I navigate my life and responsibilities and dreams. Equal parts reality show, cartoon, and soap opera, I am often torn between laughter and tears.

In honor of our anniversary, I took the time today to watch the video of my and Jeff’s wedding. And I can't help but cry every time I see it. Happy tears. (But Sage doesn’t get that. She starts to cry when she sees me crying and says, “Holly, I’m sad about Holly.” And although she has every right to be sad about Holly – our dear, sweet Golden Retriever who died of cancer last May – she uses Holly as her safety net for tears.)

There were so many things I loved about my wedding day but in watching the video today, the reading my friend Annika shared was an especially sweet reminder.

A Good Marriage Must Be Created

In marriage, the little things are the big things.

It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say I love you at least once a day.
It is never going to sleep angry.
It is having a mutual sense of values and objectives.
It is standing together facing the world.
It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.
It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.
It is not only marrying the right person, it is being the right partner.

(Author Unknown)

I think that really says it all. So, to creating the best marriage, being the right partner, and standing together to face the world . . . may we always be so blessed (. . . and focused!)!