26 years and stronger than ever...

Today my parents celebrate their 26th wedding anniversary and their 27th year together. Friday, June 28, 1985 (one year to the day of their first date) they said "I do" in front of their family and friends. They were both incredibly young (my mom was only 18 and my dad was 21) but they have spent the last 26 years showing me what it really means to truly love one another. My dad told me years ago that marriage isn't a binding contract, it's a daily choice to wake up and love the person you pledged your life to. Even when it's hard. Even when they make you crazy. Even on the days you don't feel like it. I've only been married two years and I'm just now starting to scratch the surface of understanding that type of commitment. Not just to my spouce, but to both of our families. The quote below is one of my absolute favorites. I feel like it is the perfect summation of my parents marriage and it's impact on my life.

"I didn't marry you because you were perfect. I didn't even
marry you because I loved you. I married you because you
gave me a promise. That promise made up for your faults.
And the promise I gave you made up for mine. Two imperfect
people got married and it was the promise that made the marriage.
And when our children were growing up, it wasn't a house that
protected them; and it wasn't our love that protected them - it was that
promise."
Thornton Wilder, The Skin of Our Teeth

I'm so proud of my parents. I'm so honored that they've kept that promise they made all those year ago. I'm so blessed to have grown up in a house with a mother and a father who were each equally committed to giving me the best life possible. I know it hasn't been easy. I know they've had fights, and disagreements; every good marriage does. I'm sure there have been days where it would have been easier just to call it quits...but they didn't. And I can never thank them enough for that. I can only pray that a quarter century from now, Nathan and I are as happy and in love and dedicated to one another as my parents are today. Thank you for setting such an admirable example for me and my brothers. I love you both more than I could ever put into words.

"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person." -M. McLaughlin

Always,

L