Today marks the first full day of our 10th year as one and I can’t let it go past without at least a little acknowledgment. I have a lot of things to say about the man that Mat is but what I want to share with you all today is that he is not the man I married 9 years ago, just like I am not the woman he married.
Over the past 9 years we have done a lot of growing up together. We have had to grow into ourselves and in doing so we have grown into a deeper relationship with each other. There have been seasons of our marriage that we have been able to walk side by side and take on the journey together but there have also been many seasons when one of us needs to be carried through. Mat has shown me nothing but grace and compassion during the seasons that he is doing the carrying. The grace and compassion Mat has endlessly shown me has been formative in our marriage and my motherhood. The truth is I wasn’t as naturally good at helping Mat through his challenging seasons as he was at helping me. That made for a lot of painful growth early on and this year has really shown us that the effort to figure it out was worth it.
Our past few years have been more carrying then walking side by side. This year in particular has pushed us to our limits as individuals and as a unit. The thing is, the harder our lives became the more steadfast in our marriage we stood.
Around our anniversary we like to try to take some time to reflect on our year and to write down our highs and lows. It also gives us a chance to look forward to the year to come. This year we didn’t really have anything planned but my Mom offered to babysit so we decided to go for dinner. We have had some pretty amazing dates over the years but last night is right close to the top. There was absolutely nothing special about it but it brought us both a deep sense of closure. The papers we have written our best years on are always tear stained. Our list last night was no different. We have overcome, and are still journeying through, some of the hardest parts of our life this year and it is such a gift to be doing it together.
Mat, thank you for not just letting me grow, but for helping me to do so. The greatest privilege of my life has been doing the same for you.
Among our top goals for this year....take more pictures just the two of us!
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