Happy Anniversary

 

I Corinthians 13:4 is probably one of the most-quoted passages of love in history.  To me, it describes what love should be in our daily lives.  Sometimes, the love we show and the love we share aligns itself perfectly with the words on the page.  Other times, the expression of love barely qualifies as being in the same realm as "love."  The simple fact is that we are human and free will plays equally for the things we ought to do as well as the things we ought not do.  People come together, fall apart, survive birth and living, find comfort in times of hardship, triumph in times of joy and celebration, endure death and dying.  It perseveres.  

Shan and I have been married now for 19 years - just a blink of an eye.  We have experienced amazing, incredible highs and we have survived heart-breaking, gut-wrenching lows.  There are times when our love follows the path laid out by the words in the Bible, and times when those words may seem like any other words typewritten in any book.  And through everything, with each step we take and each and every day we have together, love has persevered.

My wife is the most amazing woman I know - she loves fully, starting with her love of God.  She has faith and devotion to the Lord in ways I can't even begin to describe.  Her love of everything her faith brings brought her though very dark times in our relationship.  Her love extends to our children, whom she cherishes beyond the mere words I could ever put here.  She is gentle and soft, but can be stern when she needs to be.  Our children are her pride and joy, her world.  

And her love for me simply amazes me.  There are the little things she does, the things she says, the looks she gives me.  It is the times when a look speaks more than actual words would.  We love to talk about the memories we've made and the ones we will make as we spend our lives together.

Today, we are married just 19 years.  I can only hope and pray she can put up with me for at least that many more.  She has always been the most beautiful woman I have ever met - from the first time I met her while hanging out with a bunch of soon-to-be friends in a dorm room through the fires of life and to this day and beyond.

I love you, Shannon.  With all of my heart, all my soul, and everything I have.  Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart!