Many of you will recall a book written in the early nineties called Men are from Mars/Women are from Venus. Well... my husband and I are truly from different planets. We are universal opposites. I like it cold, he likes it warm. I am a spender. He is a saver. I like to go out. He likes to stay home. He is a minimalist. I like to guild the lily. He rarely gets upset. I tend to overreact to everything. When we have a dinner party I like to use my stemware. He would rather use the plastic Wolfpack cups that we found under the bleachers after a football game. These differences often cause friction in our marriage. Who really has the perfect marriage anyway? The longer we are married the more I realize that these are small things and not worth the worry.
Paul's redeeming qualities far outweigh his lack of taste in dinnerware. He always gives me the nicer car to drive and makes sure it is full of gas for me. He works hard at his job and his church commitments. He gives everything 100%. He never goes out with the guys in lieu of family time. He rarely takes time for himself. When he is not with his family he is usually out selflessly serving someone else. Everyone knows they can count on him to help out when there is a need. We have never gone into debt to buy him the latest man toy. These are the important things about him.
Before I met Paul I was an avid rock climber. The first thing I learned about rock climbing in the outdoors is that when you set up a climb you need to ensure that there are three anchors at the top of the mountain to support your climb. Trusting life and limb to less than three supports is foolhardy. Likewise you need to ensure that the anchors are attached to a sturdy surface. I think this is true of marriage as well.
We are well anchored. We love each other. We love our kids. We are dedicated to our religion. We put these three things first in our lives. There is never a question of priorities in our house. These are the strong boulders to which we anchor our marriage. They can not fail unless we untie ourselves from the harnesses. In today's world too many people anchor their marriage to insignificant things. Then when the anchors fail so do they.
11 years ago today we made an eternal commitment to each other. Our friends and family were there to celebrate with us. It was the happiest day of my life. Since then we have called four cities and two continents home. We added three children to our family. We have lost family members. We have taken our kids on fun vacations. We have had disagreements. We like many other couples have our ups and downs but I am still enjoying the ride and I am looking forward to the rest of our journey together.
Paul's redeeming qualities far outweigh his lack of taste in dinnerware. He always gives me the nicer car to drive and makes sure it is full of gas for me. He works hard at his job and his church commitments. He gives everything 100%. He never goes out with the guys in lieu of family time. He rarely takes time for himself. When he is not with his family he is usually out selflessly serving someone else. Everyone knows they can count on him to help out when there is a need. We have never gone into debt to buy him the latest man toy. These are the important things about him.
Before I met Paul I was an avid rock climber. The first thing I learned about rock climbing in the outdoors is that when you set up a climb you need to ensure that there are three anchors at the top of the mountain to support your climb. Trusting life and limb to less than three supports is foolhardy. Likewise you need to ensure that the anchors are attached to a sturdy surface. I think this is true of marriage as well.
We are well anchored. We love each other. We love our kids. We are dedicated to our religion. We put these three things first in our lives. There is never a question of priorities in our house. These are the strong boulders to which we anchor our marriage. They can not fail unless we untie ourselves from the harnesses. In today's world too many people anchor their marriage to insignificant things. Then when the anchors fail so do they.
11 years ago today we made an eternal commitment to each other. Our friends and family were there to celebrate with us. It was the happiest day of my life. Since then we have called four cities and two continents home. We added three children to our family. We have lost family members. We have taken our kids on fun vacations. We have had disagreements. We like many other couples have our ups and downs but I am still enjoying the ride and I am looking forward to the rest of our journey together.
Ah..congrats you two! That was beautifully written, Tina!
ReplyDeleteHappy anniversary, Paul and Tina!
ReplyDeleteYour post is beautiful, Tina. Rock-solid principles (pun totally intended), lovely sentiments, credit where it's certainly due, and a witty title to boot! Props to you, friend. I'm glad I know you.
Tina, you are a beautiful writer. Well said. And what a beautiful tribute to your marriage.
ReplyDelete