Four
years ago today, my dear husband asked me if I would spend my life as his wife.
I gladly accepted, no idea how things would work out for us, only that we would
be together. At 18, it was an unconventional decision to make—one that was
criticized and questioned by the majority of people that knew us (I was even
asked if I was pregnant by a friend!). As you hopefully have garnered, I was
not. We opted to get married while we were both still in school and financially
unstable. We had the faith that God would provide for us and did not want us to
make decisions based on fear. We believed that the love we had for each other
was the most important thing in our life, that being together was better than
money, jobs, or school. We believed things would work out for us.
Over the
past four years (almost three of which we have been married) that leap of faith
has proven to be completely blessed. We have absolutely had many ups and many
downs; we have dealt with things I never thought about before getting married;
but time after time, we overcome. We band together as a single unit, a unified
team, the two of us against any issue that comes up, and fight like crazy for
each other.
I truly
believe that that attitude is what makes us work. We fight for each other, not against
each other. We take each issue with the mindset and heartset that any transgression
is already forgiven; all problems are small in comparison to our relationship;
we have forged a bond that we have vowed to defend come what may. There is no
defeat. There is no “try.” There is no quitting, no giving up, no calling it
off. We are in it for life and we are in it together. That is marriage.
I can
honestly say that I cannot imagine having a better teammate, friend,
confidante, partner, husband. When I think of the guys I dated before him, I
realize why it never worked out with them (thank goodness!). All those
problems, all the drama, all the crap—it was all more than worth it. I found
the best guy out there and he found me right back. I am so unbelievably blessed
to have him. I love him more today than I thought I could.
Happy
anniversary, Drew. Here’s to a lifetime more!
