On our tenth

It was ten years ago today that you stood confidently in front of hundreds of our family and friends, looking good enough to get buried, and waited for me, rubbing those hands together the way you do before a basketball game. Together we spoke this triangular covenant called marriage, a promise to each other and our great big God, to be together forever, no matter what.

You made my whole life that day. I'm as surprised as anybody that you would pick me. Or, as your version goes, have the Lord tell you almost audibly that you had to pick me. To this day I'm totally convinced that when people see us together, it's like, "How did she get him?" Seriously, you're out of my league.

All those things we promised to stick together through have found us one way or another. Good and bad, yes, though the good has far, far outweighed the bad. Richer Not quite as poor and poorer, yes. Sickness and health - ugh, yes. I pause here to lament the fact that you've actually seen me throw up, and assert my gratitude that you didn't laugh. Or at least you hid it well.

You are exactly the husband I knew you'd be. You make me laugh when nothing should be funny. You pull me up when I am drowning in worry (or stupidity). You eat my meals even when they're bad, knowing that nothing stings me like uneaten food. You inspire me to be a better mother, by being such an incredible father. You are my forever encourager, and have never, ever berated me for a mistake. Well, except for when I threw away your Oakleys.

You take the innumerable mood swings in stride, knowing that I will eventually come around and smile again. You forgive when I haven't done a great job of cherishing you, something I promised God I'd do. You somehow still love me after seeing me at my absolute very worst. Over and over and over.

Though this life is an imperfect picture of what is to come, I feel I can understand better than most the idea of Christ as the bridegroom. For I know you love me like He does.

Thank you. For being who you are. For knowing that love is more of a decisive action than an emotion. For wanting to share your life with me and not running away screaming when, ten years ago tomorrow, you realized what we had done and that you'd be seeing me basically every day of your life. Ray said it best:

This is marriage.
You wake up, she's there.
You come home from work, she's there.
You fall asleep, she's there.
You eat dinner, she's there.
You know? I mean,
I know that sounds like a bad thing.
But, it's not.
Not if it's the right person.

Happy anniversary to my right person. My very best friend. God alone knew how much we'd need each other, and only He could have worked in our lives the way He did to bring us together.

So, from this day forward, I again promise to love and cherish you, honor and obey you, in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as we both shall live.

I love you with every piece of my heart, and can't wait to see what the next ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty years hold. After all, I wouldn't want to walk this crazy happy life with anyone else.