June 25th, Our 28th Anniversary!

I met my husband a little over 31 years ago. We dated for a year and a half and were engaged for a year and a half. Then we spent more than half our lives with each other. We worked together, had two beautiful girls, and got a house. We raised our daughters, the older one graduated college two years ago, the younger one has one year left. My husband is planning to take early retirement next summer…so far so good!

I think the reason why our marriage has been successful is because we took our time to get to know each other. We talked, got to know each other’s families, shared our past and formed a good, solid friendship. Friendship makes for a strong foundation. I think that’s why our relationship stood the test of time. We knew each other before we married and we were old enough and ready to settle down. We discussed the future and found we wanted the same things out of life. We trusted each other to work together to get the things we wanted. We trusted each other with our feelings and inner most thoughts. We were honest with each other. We took our marriage vows seriously and kept the commitment we made. We’ve grown together. We compliment each other’s strengths and weaknesses so we are stronger as a couple.

I wanted to be as sure as I could be, before making it official, that we could do the work that marriage takes. So many couples are ready to throw in the towel when things get rough. But, we helped and supported each other through the tough times and it made those times easier to bear. And, I didn’t want my children to come from a broken home. I wanted them to have both parents and a stable, happy life. I didn’t want them growing up in a war zone either, with parents who were always arguing, because that had been my experience and I didn’t like how it made me feel. And now, I can say, that I got everything I ever wanted.

It’s been a blessing to have someone like my husband, to go through life with, knowing I can always count on him to be there. We’ve shared our best years together and there is still more to come, God willing.