Till Death Do Us Part – 19 Years of Marriage

On Monday, Craig and I will be celebrating 19 years of blissful matrimony.

I am obviously using the term “blissful” sarcastically.

We are from two different backgrounds.  I am a city girl who uses Saturday’s to relax and enjoy that day. He’s a farmer who thinks every Saturday needs to be filled with work from early morning until evening. Those first few years of marriage, I had visions of us lounging around in bed, watching tv, and looking lovingly into each other’s eyes every Saturday.

That never happened.

The first few years of our marriage were rough. I was living in a different state than my family, and adjusting to life on a farm was harder than I thought.

My loneliness turned into bitterness. And who better take that bitterness out on, than Craig?

There was that time that I was so angry with him, in the midst of an argument, I hurled a popcorn bowl at him. It didn’t make contact with his head, because the Lord didn’t bless me with an accurate throwing arm. I can’t remember what the argument was over, but we both remember that bowl flying through the air!

I’ve said one too many times, “I give up, this marriage is over!” I said it just to see the pain in his eyes. In a moment of hate, the one thing I wanted to do was hurt him.

It worked.

We may think that words are just words, but when they are spewed out in a fit of anger; words can inflict more pain than childbirth.

If you are married, I am sure that you can relate. Our sinful nature brings out the worse in us in times of anger and despair.

My Husband is My Best Friend

After one particular disagreement over something that I can’t even remember; I realized something. Craig is not only my husband, but also my best friend.

I don’t speak to my friends in hateful tones, so why should I talk to Craig like that?

I’ve changed my mindset when we have disagreements, and I try to hold back the words that are in my head! I have bitten my tongue on more than one occasion. At times, this is hard to do, and I need the Lord’s strength to restrain myself.

Marriage is a Compromise

Through these last nineteen years of marriage and two children, we have learned to compromise. In all honesty, my husband is a saint. He’s married to a strong-willed woman, and I will be the first to admit that I am not the easiest person to live with.

Throughout our years, Craig has supported me in being a stay-at-home mom, a home consultant for a scrapbooking and stamping company, a cosmetic company, and a candle company. He’s been my biggest cheerleader when it comes to my writing.

I cook dinner, Craig cleans up the dishes.

I get up early to have some quiet time, and he makes breakfast for the boys.

I take care of the dog by giving him medicine and dog food. Craig makes the dog eggs AND pancakes for breakfast. And he claims that he’s not a dog person! Yeah, right!

Christ-Centered Marriage

Because of Craig, I have a relationship with Christ. Craig was born and raised in a Christian church, where I was born and raised a Catholic. I left the church long before meeting Craig. I’m sure it took courage for him to ask me to attend a service with him. I was pretty independent and thought that I could live a life on my own – without anyone’s help; especially God’s.

I was wrong about that!

I thank God every day for Craig. Yes, the man can get on my nerves, but I can’t imagine life without him. He’s my soulmate and the father of my sons. He texts me daily, merely saying, “Hope your day is going well; love you!” I treasure those texts!

Craig, I love you! Here’s to 19+ more years of marriage. I can’t wait to celebrate our anniversary with you next month! Seriously, what were we thinking when we chose to get married in May?!?!?! It’s a crazy busy month! We don’t have time to breathe, let alone go out for dinner!