Its amazing, really, when I look back on my life and think what I wanted it to be and how different; dare I say, better, than I thought it would be? Never in a million years would I have said, “Yes, I want to be married at 22, have 3 kids by the time I was 30, be a pastor’s wife, plant a church and live in the suburbs.” Maybe some of my long time friends would have said this of me, but not me. I wanted to travel the world photographing my adventures along the way and maybe, maybe get married at 30.
Istn’t it funny how God has a way of redirecting a life to refine, grow-up and change a person through circumstances we would never choose for ourselves?
In the past 16 years, both Kevin and I have grown-up and we are not the people (thank goodness!) that we were at 22 and 23.
As I sat down to think of all the things we have been through together in the past 16 years, I thought about how we have been broken, tired and beat down. We have struggled through loss (babies, homes, friends and desires). We have traveled. We have learned. We have struggled financially. We have hiked, ran, biked, climbed, canoed and camped together. We have struggled in communication. We have laughed. We have fought. We have parented. We have encouraged and even discouraged one another. We have cried together. We have missed each other. And we have loved.
Unconditionally.
We aren’t perfect, and we never will be. But this sweet, and incredible relationship called marraige has molded us into new and different people than we were 16 years ago. It has not been easy, but it has grown me and brought me so much joy. What a gift Kevin is to me and I am so thankful to be celebrating these sweet years together with him.
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