Love & Marriage

A very wise man once said this:

They say marriages are made in Heaven.

But so is thunder and lighting.

Thank you Clint Eastwood.

Personally, I take that to mean that you have to take the good with the bad when it comes to marriage. You can't pretend that fights won't happen or that you won't ever have problems. Marriage is work, plain and simple.

I guess that I might have the meaning of that quote all wrong. But that is what it means to me.

Marriage
                                     love
   commitment

All these things are on my mind today, because we as a family are watching my brother in law's relationship crumble. It's not an easy thing to experience, and I think we all hold out hope that maybe he and his (former?) fiancee will work things out. But this fight seems different than ones they've had in the past. You see, their relationship has never been very steady. Even having a baby together hasn't seemed to be enough to bring any stability to their relationship.

It's hard watching people you care about suffer. My personal relationship with my brother in law's fiancee has deteriorated pretty significantly in the last couple of years. But even so, my heart hurts for them. And I'm grateful for the stability I find in my own relationship. And I find inspiration to never put myself in their position, to make my marriage awesome.

But how do you do that?

I love the quote I included in the picture. In case you're in a black hole...that's a quote out of The Vow. In fact, it IS the vow. My favorite part is and to have the patience that love demands.

At almost 5 years of marriage, I'm by no means an expert. But here are some things that I've learned.

pick your battles        LOVE YOURSELF TOO

                       be willing to forgive

don't expect your marriage to be exactly

the same as it was at the start...because you're

a different person too.          is being right really that important? 

THE "For Worse" PART WILL EVENTUALLY SHOW UP

              the best date doesn't have to be expensive

men don't read minds. or take hints very well.

                                    nobody ever said marriage was easy

           it's ok to have your own interests

Cherish the little things. they are what make up your memories

My husband and I are far from perfect. We certainly don't have it all figured out. But we are committed to this relationship. We are committed to each other and the family we are building. I am so happy that I get to grow old with my husband and build a life with him. I couldn't ask for anything more.