Seven Years.

Yesterday was our 7th wedding anniversary.  Not sure how that’s possible, but here we are – SEVEN.

We had a quiet, nice celebration at home once we got the kids in bed.  There was much wine-drinking and brie-eating and wedding-video-watching.  Life is good, isn’t it?

This weekend, I came across some thoughts posted by a friend, written by Louis de Bernieres -

Love is a temporary madness; it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is.

Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of eternal passion. That is just being in love, which any fool can do.

Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.

Those that truly love have roots that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two.

So lovely.  It immediately brought my marriage, particularly over the past year, to mind.  I’ve often wondered how I got so lucky – to have found someone who forgives me when I don’t deserve it, loves me when I am at my worst, and truly puts my happiness above his own. 

The beauty of a successful marriage is this – when the blossoms do fall off, when one of you falls short, when you’re both exhausted from juggling laundry and work and toddlers – there is grace.  There is love.  There is God in the midst of the everyday.

What I take from this year – what I cherish most – is the realization that the roots of our two trees have intertwined in such a way that we are one.  One tree.  One set of star-crossed lovers.  One everyday fairy tale.  You get the point.

Andrew Peters, I love you for crying when we watched our wedding video last night, because you still love me as much as you did when you cried on our wedding day.  You’re more than this girl deserves.  You’re proof of God’s grace and love.

Thanks for becoming one with me – and for not picking your grains of sand back out of the vase when I’m at my worst. 

Happy Anniversary!

Getting a Grip

Today. Was. Lousy.

Andrew went back to work, I had some work-drama, and dealing with the kids all day without an extra set of hands was a complex task, to say the least.

Late in the afternoon, I sent B to his room for some “Quiet Rest Time,” poured myself a glass of wine, turned on some Explosions in the Sky, and started in on the reading material for our new small group study.

(By the way, A and I started a rogue, non-church-affiliated small group with some good friends a few weeks ago.)

We’re starting in on a Bill Hybels study about “Getting a Grip” this weekend, and the reading was eye-opening to say the least. Among the tasks for this week is the assignment to create a pie chart of how we spend our time each week.

Mine needs some adjustments -

I can see spending the bulk of my time being a mom – home-making and spending time with the fam. I can also see that a big chunk is my freelancing career, since it’s a definite passion for me right now.

It seems distressing to me, though, how little time I spend on friendships and spiritual growth. It seems I could use more time in the gym, too!

This really takes me back to my post a few days ago about the kind of person I want to be in the new year. I’m so looking forward to continuing this study and seeing how I can balance all areas of my life!

What does your pie chart look like?