My wife and I celebrated our 17th year of marriage on September 2, 2023. It is certainly my greatest accomplishment of my 42 years of life. Thankfully my marriage wasn’t solely dependent upon me. I’ve had an extremely patient wife throughout it all!
Neither of us remembers the first day we met, nor is it important to us.
We do remember the first time I asked her out, and it was quite embarrassing for both of us. Guess I shouldn’t have asked in front of her sister among a large group of friends!
She grew up with five siblings, while I spent most of my childhood days knocking on my neighbor’s doors, asking if their kids could play. Yes, I grew up an only child, and no, I don’t think it was a bad thing. God works in our lives as He chooses, and that was what He had for each of us.
Now, to say that our marriage got off to a great start would be lying.
To think that you can prepare to live with someone for the rest of your life is far-fetched. Oh, how God has revealed our weaknesses and brokenness over the years. In fact, revealing weaknesses and brokenness seem to become more frequent as time goes by. They also seem to be more deeply rooted than we first thought. It’s been painful at times, but to come out on the other side each time has been rewarding. Faithfulness and steadfastness becomes more real with every day, month, and year that passes by.
I remember having our first child back in 2009.
What was God doing, allowing us to take Jude home? He would be the first of 4 children that God uses to sanctify us! Of course, in the midst of these four children, we had three miscarriages. More pain and more questioning, but all to bring Ann Marie and me closer together and nearer to God, and here we are, 17 years later. I didn’t take time to share much of the fun we had, but there was plenty. We all know that the easy times and the fun aren’t what keep marriages together. They serve to provide a breath of fresh air; they remind us that there is hope; they remind us that the pain will end; but those times aren’t where the “rubber meets the road.” I am thankful for the 17 years we’ve had together and look forward to many more.
September 2023
