Love Endures All Things

I began today by writing a status update for my Facebook. As I typed, I realized that I had so much more to say than could be contained in a status update.

29 years ago today, my parents were preparing for their wedding. They had both waited for a spouse for a long time and were introduced in the strangest way. Their whirlwind romance had led them to this moment, a mere 3 months after meeting. On opposite sides of a church, they prepared to become one, to blend two very different lives into a single united being, dedicated to making two very different personalities mesh. I've seen the pictures of their wedding; it was humble but happy. The joy on their faces is evident, they both glow in a way I had never seen until recently.

Like all relationships, my parents have had hard times. Unlike most relationships, my parents were very open about it. As a teenager, I remember hiding with my sisters and having secret meetings coming up with ways we would support ourselves if mom and dad got a divorce, because how could we choose one parent over another? Instead, we would move out on our own.

There were plenty of years when I swore I would never have a relationship like theirs. The reality that every relationship has hard times was very, very real to me. At times it was overwhelming and I couldn't remember a time when they had been happy together. I wondered if they were doomed to be miserable for the rest of their lives. It was heartbreaking for my sisters and me because we would see mom try to fix things and dad would refuse. And just about the time mom would win dad over, mom would stop trying. So dad would try, he would work really hard to repair their relationship, and just about the time he would win mom over, he would get frustrated and give up trying. That cycle repeated many times.

About 2 years ago, the cycle stopped.They were both on the same page at the same time and they began to talk. And they worked on their problems. And they began to spend more time together, and to remember what they had enjoyed about one another. They focused on the things they appreciated in each other instead of the things that bugged them. And, honestly, I think they got to the point where those annoying things became endearing to one another. 

Today, I have never seen my parents more in love. Even though the hard times were scary and painful, I am so grateful that my parents were open about it with my siblings and me. We all learn by example and my parents have set a great one. Momma, Daddy, Happy 29^th Anniversary. You have woven your lives into a beautiful tapestry. I hope that in 26 years, Gary and I will be just as blissful as you two are now.

Picture by Katherine Pafford