I don't AT ALL claim to have any expertise on the subject of marriage but I can say that the last 101 days have been an opportunity to learn. So, in celebration of
101 Days of Marriage
I thought I'd share some of what we have learned so far.
First Lesson from the First Look
I imagined our "First Look" photo at the wedding to be like the small photo in the corner. I had told him I thought it would be cool if he was up front praying and then I would walk in behind him so the camera could catch the both of us in one picture. What I got was the first picture. Even though it isn't what I had first imagined, the truth is I LOVE this picture for two reasons. ONE: It reminds me of the amazing man of God I married. He is the man who encourages me both in my everyday interactions with people and in my walk with Christ. He prays with me and for me. TWO: This picture reminds me how often we think we are clear in communicating our expectations but in hindsight are anything but. I never told him he should be sitting on the front row but I found myself initially frustrated when he did what came naturally to him. It came naturally, you see, because every Sunday, the trustees gather at the front of the church and pray at the beginning of the weekly church service. This was something he had done as a trustee every Sunday for years so I really should have expected it of him. Looking at this photo reminds me to take a step back when I'm feeling frustrated and look at the situation from a different perspective. It reminds me to show patience despite my initial reactions.
It's Okay To Be a Cheese Ball
Have fun together. After all, you just married your best friend. The way you feel right now? Want it last forever? It can! The greatest advice I think I've ever received is to continue to date one another. Look at the way you have demonstrated love to one another while you were dating and in the first few months of marriage. If you're attentive, polite, sensitive, patient and verbally affectionate, why should all of that change with time? Your marriage is your first and most important ministry. In what ways are you serving one another?
There are Still Good People in the World
I had never before been geocaching but we decided to take a slight detour on our way back from an event we attended. (Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location. ... Sign the logbook and return the geocache to its original location. [geocaching.com]) As we were stopped on the side of the road with our hazard lights flashing, some ladies in a car stopped to check to see if we were okay. I sheepishly smiled as I told her we were geocaching. (I sure hope they knew what that was!) It was really exciting that we were able to find a geocache on our first outing! Keep Trying
The best thing we have learned comes from our son. He has been learning to spell new words by using magnetic letters. Many of the phrases he has learned come from watching videos from our local public broadcasting station. Learning to live with and help care for our nonverbal son with Autism has been a challenge but so has learning to adjust to having a third person in the house. The kiddo and I had adjusted to being on our own and had a daily rhythm we had fallen into. Adding someone else to all of this has been an adjustment for everyone but everyday we keep trying. We keep trying to show love, we keep trying to show patience. We keep trying and we never give up on one another.
Everyday is a new adventure and a new opportunity to learn from one another. This is just the beginning for us and I can't wait to see what adventures lie ahead for the three of us!
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