One year ago today...

One year ago today…
I began a different life. A life not about me and I but about us and we. I joined hands with Mike and promised that through the good and bad we would love each other.

But honesty… I’m not sure if any one clearly stated what the bad would be. Yeah, yeah… we got the lines on richer, poorer, sickness and health, better or worse, but maybe some examples would have been nice. Again, I fully believe that people should come with instruction manuals. But since they don’t, here’s some things we’ve learned about the good and the bad.

Better – those days when I come home and see fresh vacuum marks on the carpet. Those are good days! When Mike walks in and smells freshly baked cookies, I think he considers those better days too. When I wake up with my temporary amnesia and forget what the heck we were fighting about yesterday, those are good days. When we realize that it’s not really worth a fight in the first place, those are better days.

Worse – are those times like when I ask him to take out the recycling and then I find he’s thrown it all in the trash. Arg! Worse are those times nobody warned him about, like when he’s just getting used to home cooked dinners every night and I decide to do a play and am gone every night for two months. Worse are those times when frustration rears its ugly head, but we try to let our sense of humor win out.

Richer – I thought that the coolest thing about being married was going to be the joint checking account. I was going to be rich! And shop all the time! But that blasted Dave Ramsey… Ok, so not really. I’ll leave material richness for down the road. We’re rich in heart.

Poorer – Did I mention I work at a church? So when Mike’s company got bought out and sold by the government, we got a little nervous about the future. Scratch that. Not much makes Mike nervous. So I prayed for his kind of patience. As it turned out, Mike was right. It’s all good. As long as we have each other, and we avoid those pesky little money arguments that so many couples have, we’ll be just fine.

Sickness – I realize that I can be a little high maintenance every once in a while. Poor Mike schlepped me across Europe feeling miserable and I know the whole time he just wanted to make it better. He gently put up with me when my joints were so inflamed that I walked like a 147-year-old. He even offered to get me a Hoveround (actually I think he said if my condition was permanent that was the only way he’d put up with me) but oh too sweet.

Health – What can I say other than Mike loves to eat my gluten free cookies. I think the best part of the health side is knowing that we’re there for each other on the sickness side.

I know we haven’t experienced even a portion of the highs and lows that we will together, but it’s nice to know that we can add to our stock pile of experiences.

One year ago today…
My life changed for the better. I smile daily. I laugh full-heartedly. I can’t wait for the years to come.