“I Do” Again

9 years ago, I walked down the long center aisle of Perkins Chapel (SMU campus in Dallas), on my father’s arm, grinning ear to ear and savoring every moment of the journey accompanied by the pomp and circumstance of the “Prince of Denmark’s” march on the organ…to marry my best friend, my husband Dustin. Now, the reality is that I haven’t savored all the moments since, but there certainly have been some wonderful ones! And THAT was one of the best. 9 years later, 9 years of challenges and triumphs, exams passed and degrees earned, jobs lost and found, friends in and out of our lives, extended family drama, baby bliss and baby madness, toddler tantrums and giggles, arguments won and lost and set aside, diagnoses made and counselors advice taken, and LOTS of personal growth and discovery, I would do it all again, my love! And my promises today are more heart-felt, more meaningful, and more practical…

I promise to laugh at your jokes, even when they’re not that funny.
I promise to listen to your stories, even when I’ve heard them before.
I promise to tell you what I need from you, and not expect you to read my mind.
I promise to greet you with a hug and kiss when you come home, and when you leave (if I am awake).
I promise to remember that things will be better when you are done with fellowship, and in the mean time, I’ll give you a break. (And in four years, you will give me that trip to Hawaii!)
I vow to love you through sleep-deprivation, through disappointments, through challenging parenting seasons, through board exams and board games, through long days and nights of absence, and when we’re tired of each other’s presence.
I vow to love you when your ways are different from mine – ways of parenting, ways of thinking, ways of being.
I vow to love you when we disagree, when we are unkind to each other, when we forgive each other.
I vow to show you appreciation, affection, and admiration, even on rough days, and in rough years.
I vow to see the best in you, to believe in the best for us and our family, and to be your best friend and companion, in sickness and in health…till death do us part.

This early morning, I’m sitting outside enjoying the sounds of the birds, the smooth surface of the lake, and I asked my Uncle Ollie how long he and Auntie Ann have been married…42 years. He said he still can’t wait to come home to her at the end of the day. Ahhhh. I will work hard to make you feel this way, though I won’t be perfect…

I vow to be patient with your imperfections and moments of exhaustion, just like you are with mine. I vow to strive to be my best self for you, even while loving you when you are your at your worst, just as you do for me. I vow to choose love, to choose commitment, to choose you every day…till death do us part.

Here’s hoping we can at least see each other, maybe even go to dinner for our 10th anniversary. Or Napa Valley? I love and miss you, Honey! Happy Anniversary!

Check out my anniversary post from last year: “A New Standard for Romance”