four.

word of the day: anniversary \fȯr\ the fourth in a set or series

Four years ago today, Jake and I set out on our honeymoon.  We were driving to Colorado, and we stopped half way in Kearney, Nebraska to split up the drive.  We stayed the night in the Wingate hotel, ate dinner at the Whiskey Creek, and saw the newest installment of the Batman movies: The Dark Knight.  It was simple, but it was one of the best parts of our honeymoon.

Four days ago, Jake and I set out on another trip, and we drove straight to Kearney, Nebraska.  We stayed the night at the Wingate hotel, ate dinner at the Whiskey Creek, and saw the last installment of the Batman trilogy: The Dark Knight Rises.  It was simple, but it was a grand way to celebrate four years of marriage.

Four years.  Jake often says that if he looks back on our marriage as a whole, it seems to have flown by—moved so quickly that we can’t keep up.  But, if you look at specific points of our marriage—the wedding, vacations, and significant moments thus far—you start to realize how much we’ve already been through.  How much we’ve already experienced together.

The last couple of years have thrown many things into our marriage.    Things that suck away our time or cause irritation and stress.  Things, I suppose, would make it easy to say, “I wish we could go back to the way things used to be.  When they were simpler and easier.”

But I don’t wish I could go back to the way things used to be.  With every new obstacle that gets thrown our way, we figure out a way to maneuver it (well let’s be honest, Jake figures out a way to maneuver it) and we continue to move forward.  These things add dimension to our lives and have become our new normal; they affect the way we interact, and we work hard to make them work. 

I imagine each subsequent year from here on out will bring more to the mix.  Things that may even make us wish we could come back to this point because it’s simpler and easier.  But I think it all just is.  That’s a fairly ambiguous statement, but it often brings me peace when walking into something new and unknown.  It just is, and we’ll work to make it work.   We’ll have help of course, and my hope is that our lives are lived in a way that reflects the Source of that help.  Amidst all else, He's the one thing in our lives that never changes, and that's something to hang your hat on. 

So here's to four more--whatever they may throw our way.