Five years.
I remember when I was in grade school thinking that the summer went on FOREVER. Each year was SOOOOOOOO long and a fifteen-minute lunch break was sufficient enough allowing my body to digest the Twinkie and kudos bar so I could go racing off to gym or French class.
Five years.
Those that know my dad well enough know that he would often ask “where do you see yourself in five years?” I hated that question. I just had no idea and no desire to plan that far ahead as so much could change and happen…if Im honest, I also hated the idea of stating a goal out loud which I could then blatantly and publically fail.
Five years.
Yesterday Barrett and I celebrated our five-year anniversary. As we reminisced about the good/bad/ugly/and uglier, we both agreed that it feels like a blink of an eye. It went by so quickly…yet so much has taken place! Master’s degrees, jobs at Starbucks, learning centers, SBC, house painting, and church. Sharing our lives with Betsy and all the fun stories, memories, and laughs that come from her. Gaining friends and losing them to moves and job relocations. Barrett going out for active duty stints. Fights over skittles, toilet seats, and the Redsox. A miscarriage. Having no place to live while waiting for the Navy to give us orders. Moving to Okinawa. Deployments. Loneliness, anger, fighting bitterness. Home comings. ANNABELLE! Typhoons, earthquakes, and tsunamis.
Five years.
As a single person, I never was disillusioned enough to think that marriage would fill all my missing gaps in life and complete me like every Romance Novel and movie portray, but I must say that I have been surprised at how difficult seasons of our married lives have been. But here is the amazing part: Our Lord has shown Himself faithful and true above what I could have ever imagined. We have had to fight for gospel perspective as we knocked on our dear friend’s door angrily crying that we didn’t know how to overcome the issues in our marriage. We needed our friends to help us pick our heads out of the soiled earth to once again see the full beauty of the Lord’s overall plan for our lives life…His glory, not our way or desires. We had to cling to the knowledge that the Lord is sovereign and good to His children when we faced the lost of our children and even family members when we felt so much pain and sadness. We have had to remind ourselves that Christ is the example for serving in marriage…He gave up His life for His bride…the church. We too need to sacrificially serve one another as an outflow of this truth.
Five years.
Barrett and I went on a date while Annabelle played at home with a Marine Jag that knows how to use a weapon (there must be a good lawyer joke in there somewhere). We talked about our goals over ginormous naan bread and curry, then we recalled favorite memories over crepes and ice cream, and finally we laughed loudly as we sang “Defying Gravity” boldly and off key in our private Karyoke room at “The Big Echo”. We have had some great times! We have had belly laughs and tears roll down our faces! The Lord has been kind to us through this sanctification process of marriage. I am a better person because the Lord gave me Barrett. He has taught me not to take life so seriously and that its OK to have a mess every once in awhile. He has made me laugh with his wild antics and physical comedy. He livens a room and makes people feel loved and appreciated. He has a servant heart that bleeds for hurting souls. He leads our family with the foundation of the gospel and often calls us back to following Christ when we stray.
Five years.
It has flown by yet I have learned so much. Im so thankful for my loving husband that comes home each night he’s here and is joyfully engaged with our family. Im so thankful for a Savior who is our sustainer, example and our hope. He is the one who fills in the gaps and completes our lives. I have no fear of failure with Him as my Lord as He lived the perfect life, died and rose again to pay for my failures and restore my relationships not only with my husband, friends, and family, but with the almighty God!
Happy Anniversary Barrett!