Monday, July 16, 2012

Twenty Years....

It has been 20 years since I said, "I do"! I find that hard to believe. Somedays it seems like yesterday and others....well, feels like forever. I found my fella while I was working at a grocery store, finishing up my high school career. I was just 17 years old, I saw this cute guy that I wanted to meet. He had dark hair and a sweet smile; he winked at every one! I thought his sweet demeanor and his flirtation was just what I needed!! So, I got someone to introduce me. Well, I didn't seem to catch his eye right away, so I started plotting a little bit. I worked during the day and he worked the evening shift. I knew that every day at exactly 2:30pm, he would walk down the "variety" aisle. So, guess which aisle I always found myself on at exactly 2:30pm each day? Yup, you guessed it, the variety aisle. One day, he asked me to go to lunch with him. That begins the story of our lives together. I have found marriage to be a challenge, not just with being with one person solely for life, but having that one person and their entire family become a part of your life forever; and they a part of your family. There are so many dynamics involved in sharing yourself with another family. I have found throughout the time that some members are just easier to get along with than others. Pretty profound, I know! It's almost like one side of the two sides of the family is easier to get along with. I am loved and cherished by the paternal side of his family, and not so much by the maternal. That in itself brings dynamics into your marriage. How do you, as a couple deal with this? This one question has taken nearly the entire 20 years to find the answer. I know that as I have grown and matured through time, my reactions and interactions with each of these members has improved. It helps to mold and shape me into a better person by learning to deal with different personalities and expectations of the different members. Along side of learning to deal with one another,and our family members.... we have added bills, work, children, church, life,house, friends......etc. God has been good to my hubby and I. We have two beautiful girls, beautiful on the inside as well as the outside. They have given us few challenges as parents, though not zero, we are blessed by not going through what some parents have had to deal with. We face a new chapter as we welcome a son in law into the family next month. I have rambled a bit on this post today, but I'm just sharing my thoughts. Share with me any you may have. Words of encouragement or advice; share with me. Happy 20th Anniversary to my sweet spirited hubby, through the good and the bad. We have made it well.