Ten Years

Ten years. A decade. It seems like a very long time, and admittedly a lot has happened in the course of these years, but when I close my eyes it seems too clear and close to have been that long ago.

In that time I’ve moved eight (?!) times, lived in three states (not counting the state of confusion), gotten married, graduated college, began and ended a career, and had two children. Yet I remember this evening ten years ago so clearly. Perhaps it is because in many ways that night was the start of most of that list. I guess the only thing that it didn’t have a hand in was my graduation.

It wasn’t the storybook romance. We were on a mission trip to Chicago. The best we could do for alone time, as sitting in the back of the van as we drove around with the rest of the group. That’s where we had our first quick kiss. Ten years ago today.

It’s not been easy—is any marriage ever? We’ve lived in separate states while I sold a house, moved far from “home,” and we’ve had to learn to live with each others quirks. We’ve had heartaches, waiting to have a child, giving up, and being joyously surprised. We’ve had countless blessings. We’ve been granted so many wonderful people to fill our lives—from students and co-workers to ministers and neighbors, and of course our two beautiful daughters. Today is a day that I rejoice that we found one another.