I posted these pictures on facebook.
We got lots of well wishes and statements like "great couple" and "amazing couple." I thought a lot about the perception people can have when they only see the images we present to the public. We are the sainted couple who adopted their orphaned nieces. Not seeing the hurt and tension hovering beneath the surface.
I mostly thought about the couple in those pictures. Young, excited, ready to take on the world with all of its for betters and for worses. We were so happy on that day. It was a great day.
Fast forward 19 years...
The smiles are still there. The love is still there even though it's sometimes hard to find. The for worses have overshadowed the for betters these last few years. We've lost our togetherness in the stressful acts of holding our family together.
Bottom line is this...I still love him with all my heart. He makes me laugh more than anyone I know, and sometimes the best parts of my day are the times I make him laugh. I hold out hope that we eventually turn this corner and focus on the for betters.
Here's to the next next 19 and beyond...
Happy anniversary. Somehow, I think knowing that in your bones will be the force that holds you together as you weather this stage of life. That when you turn the corner, you'll be turning it together.
ReplyDeleteHappy Anniversary!
ReplyDeleteMarriage is hard and it's work and two people coming together to share a life can be really tricky. Add little persons and trauma and more little persons can obviously cause lots of upheaval.
Just keep holding tight. That corner is on the horizon somewhere.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful pictures in this post and your life, with all of its ups and downs, in the blog. I've thought often about marriage and vows. We were earnest with ours, as I'm sure you were, but only realized later just how challenging the "or worse" scenarios can be. We have made it through some crazy and completely unexpected medical drama. It hasn't always been pretty, but there is something beautiful in that struggle. I hope you enjoy the milestone of 19 years together. That's really something.
ReplyDeleteOh Peg, I hope you turn the corner too! I think we've turned it, thank God.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! I hope you shared these sentiments with your DH and that you were able to spend some quality time together. If you can keep talking, keep laughing, and stay connected physically at some reasonable intervals, i think you will make it around this corner and the next. I realize I sound too preachy. So, congrats again!
ReplyDeleteDavidah
Beautiful pictures, then and now. Happy anniversary and wishing you many more.
ReplyDelete