Forty Years?? Really??

 "For all the things my hands have held, the best by far is you."

 

I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that today marks 40 years that we have bee married. That's 14,600 days being married. That's a long time! When I mention it to people, they are often impressed or touched and think it is so sweet. I usually scoff. Not because I am unhappy, but because, these forty years have held a lot of ups and downs, sadness and happiness, excitement and boredom, things we want to remember and things we want to forget.

I read on Facebook where people claim their spouse is their soul mate. I am not even sure what that word actually means, but I don't know if we'd call each other that, on Facebook or anywhere else. We are very different people. We have had very different interests over the past 40 years. We have annoyed each other and wondered why we were together. And yet we still are together.

You know those vows you say "yes" to on your wedding day? Well, guess what? They really happen throughout a marriage and you are forced to choose that other person, again and again. Let's see ~ better or worse? Yes, we've had those moments and some were pretty ugly. Richer or poorer? Yes, we've been both. Sickness and health? Yes, been through both of those also. To love and to cherish?  Wow, this one takes some thought because cherish is a very powerful word. Love comes in many forms, but cherish, now that's a deeper level of respect and admiration that I would not label many things in my life. I would say that my husband has cherished me throughout most of our marriage, even when I was pretty un-cherishable! Til death do us part? This one remains to be seen, but, so far, so good!

Marriage comes down to a whole lot of little things, not grand gestures. He fills your car with gas. You make sure his sock drawer is full of clean socks. You make dinner. He cleans up. It is knowing that getting through this life, tough as it may be at times, you have someone in your corner that you love, trust, and rely on, that will be there for you. They make the journey a little easier, a little more fun. What more can we ask for?

 

As Sara Bareilles sings:

"Tell the world we finally got it all right

I choose you

I become yours and you become mine

I choose you"

Happy Anniversary, honey! Looks like you are stuck with me!!