Five

 We had "waited on the Lord".

We had a good Christian courtship.

We had premarital counseling.

We were madly in love.

He proposed, of course I said "YES!"

We saved our first kiss for the wedding day.

I realize what a cliche that sounds like, but I'm glad we did.

There's something precious in it, 

and our relationship was built far beyond anything physical.

So, when the "big day" arrived, we were totally ready.

 It was destiny! It was glorious!

 

It was beautiful, and so pink. 

Let me tell you, there was a lot of pink goin' on.

(It's still my favorite color!)

We had family and friends who supported us, encouraged us, and loved us.

It was the classic church wedding,

complete with bride-in-the-nursery shots.

Haha!

 

Our parents gave us to that moment,

and I wish I would have better grasped all that meant.

I wish I would have savored this walk.

It was such a blur-I looked into Scott's eyes the whole time,

but I wish I would have held my daddy's hand, too.

Because my life was changing, and I ignored the importance of the transition.

 

Then we stood before 450 people,

and vowed our lives to each other.

That's all pretty blurry, too.

Such a lovestruck high!

It went so fast, and we were so caught up with being in love!!

I wish I could go back to that moment and say,

"WAIT! You are committing to happiness, to sorrow, to gain, to loss. 

Take a deep breath, mean it with every fiber of your being, 

and go forward with convinced purpose, not just butterflies."

 

Because here we are, five years later, with more at stake.

We have invested in each other, 

we have grown closer,

we have had children,

we have lost together,

and we have gained more from each other.

I love being married

and I love my husband.

I have also come to realize that a good marriage

is based on waking up every morning intending to honor God.

It's not for my husband, it's not for me,

it's for the One who created us, who put us together,

and who made us one.

With each passing year my commitment grows, my appreciation of Scott grows, and my devotion to us grows, and my devotion to Christ grows.