‘Successful marriage is an art that can only be learned with difficulty. But it gives pride and satisfaction, like any other expertness that is hard won… I would say that the surest measures of man’s or woman’s maturity is the harmony, style, joy, dignity he creates in his marriage, and the pleasure and inspiration he provides for his spouse. An immature person may achieve great success in a career but never in marriage.? ~ Benjamin Spock
Over Labor Day Weekend, my lovely wife, Noell and I celebrated our first year wedding anniversary in Frankenmuth. It was a fun weekend of eating chicken, shopping for souvenirs, playing arcade games, and most of all, reflecting on our first year of marriage.
While this past year has been one of the most stressful and challenging times of my life with financial woes, Noell spending 11 days in the hospital with mono and having her appendix taken out with no insurance, and the ‘surprise you’re going to be a dad.?
I count all of these things to be a blessing, because with all these incidents I’ve grown closer to God and to Noell. In just a year’s time I’ve also come to find that a marriage is something you have to fight for and it’s worth fighting for. With divorce being such a high statistic I refuse to let anything divide the love and friendship my wife and I have.
Looking at my grandparents, who have been married going on 63 years, and my parents who have been married 32 years, I know it can be done.
As apart of our anniversary gifts to each other I gave Noell a pearl necklace, special thanks to ladies at Simply Marcella for helping me pick out a beautiful necklace in my price range. Along with the necklace I gave her a journal she had started in and gave to me to finish which we started before we got married.
I had originally hoped to have given it to her on our wedding day, but I didn’t think I had written enough, so I decided to hold out for our first anniversary. I still didn’t write as much as I wanted, but I try to highlight the important events.
Noell, thinking along the same lines as me, gave me a series of letters she had written and a framed picture she drew, based on actual photo of us. She also gave me a framed copy of her vows she recited on our wedding day in really nice handwriting.
Despite all the ups and downs we’ve gone through, my wife has stood by my side, and held my hand through it all. She truly is a wonderful woman and my best friend. Some of my favorite times with her are when we just lay in bed at night and talk to each other. It’s like Herman Melville once wrote.
‘There is no place like bed for confidential disclosures between friends. Man and wife, they say, they open the very bottom of their souls to each other; and some old couples often lie and chat over old times till nearly morning.?
So upon reflection of the past year, I can honestly say I would ‘I do? it all over again.