Today marks 7 years since Christian and I said “I do” in a tiny private ceremony at a Justice of the Peace that is now less than a mile from our house!

December 23, 2005

I’ve never seen the movie “The Seven Year Itch” but I understand that it’s based on the idea that this is about the time in a marriage where things can solidify into negative patterns. I can totally see what they mean by that. Marriage is hard work and I have a pattern in my life of giving up when things get difficult. When I made that promise, I meant it, and divorce is not even an option for either of us. But there are many ways a couple can live in a marriage that are “un-divorced” but not in unity of mind or heart. Where you can give up but not actually leave. That is where the 7 years becomes dangerous, and we have really seen that potential since having our kids. This year, I am thankful that we made the investment in our marriage to attend 20 weeks of ReEngage at Watermark. It was 20 weeks where I had to get my kids up to church by myself  and put them in childcare for the second time in one day, and it was stressful sometimes but definitely worth it. We met 3 other couples who were such blessings to us as we all talked about the issues in our marriages and how we can each take responsibility for our own side. I can’t believe we won’t be seeing them every week going forward and I will miss them a lot as we move on to other commitments in 2013.

I hope that in this 8th year of marriage, we take the lessons we have learned and re-learned and continue to actively apply them with the help of God and our community of friends.

Here’s to many more years – I love you, Christian!