Years Ago...

It is less than a week until our wedding anniversary. That has made me somewhat introspective. I thought you might enjoy looking back with me...

TWENTY YEARS AGO... I was a child (six to be exact), playing with dolls and dreaming of marrying my prince charming. I was in first grade and was working on learning things like reading and math, and making friends.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO... I was a pre-teen. Life had begun to rear some of its harsh realities. I began to show a great deal of interest in music. I was absolutely boy-crazy, but I could never "catch" the boys I liked. I had made and lost friends over the years, and I was learning what it was to build up a friendship.

TEN YEARS AGO... I was driving, living in the drama that is high school and felt completely invincible (and at times, a little invisible). I had been on my first few real dates. I was discovering what it meant to have your heart broken. I was full of big dreams for my future. And I still was waiting on that prince charming to show up.

EIGHT YEARS AGO... I was out in the world flying solo. I was more responsible than I had ever been in my life. I had a full-time job, I was taking college classes and I had discovered what it meant to spend your own money on things like toilet paper and soap. I had lived through heartaches, disagreements with friends and was a little less sure of what I wanted for my future. I was getting a little more impatient for that prince charming to show up.

SIX YEARS AGO... Prince Charming had shown up. I was prepping the last minute details of my wedding and was very excited. My life had certainly taken a new course, but it was exciting and I knew that it would be wonderful to have someone by my side through it all.

FIVE YEARS AGO... we had welcomed our son into our newly formed family. Life had certainly become different, but it was a good different. I had discovered that Prince Charming and I could have our moments, but that life without him would still be unfathomable. I had many more responsibilities than ever in my life. Now I was a wife and mother and needed to find the balance between those two roles, especially with my full-time job. I had never before felt such love. I never knew that I could feel so strongly for two people. My two princes.

THREE YEARS AGO... we had transplanted to a city that took me further away from my family and hometown that I had ever imagined (four and a half hours, to be exact). I was still working on the balance of a full-time stressful job, being a wife and mother and developing my Christian faith. At times it was a true struggle to get them all balanced as they should be. I worked hard to be supportive of my husband, despite the fact that his schedule at times was trying to all of us.

TWO YEARS AGO... My loving husband saw my disgust with my inability to juggle my job and family and we figured out a way for me to quit. We decided for me to finish up my college degree during the day. In honor of this, he put up a banner and gave me flowers on my last day. I had never felt so supported. I felt really blessed to have a husband who was after my best interest.

ONE YEAR AGO... It was my turn to be supportive when I learned we would be uprooting and moving, this time for a permanent change. It was time for him to start his own practice. This also meant that my college plans would need to be put on hold again. It was a little of a shock at first, but through prayer and the support of family and friends, we had a relatively easy transition.

SIX MONTHS AGO... We found our "lives" could be contained in boxes that fit in a moving van. We unearthed things that we had forgotten we had. We threw away things that we should have thrown away years ago. We regrouped and had new start for us all. He had a new life where he no longer answered to anyone but himself. I had a new life where I was at home all of the time and had no outside obligations. This was the first time since I was five that I had not been either in school or working.

NOW... I would say we have definitely adjusted. We have many, many friends. I have a fairly full schedule of activities I can attend if I want, as well as plenty of housework to keep me busy. Gary is adjusting great in his new job. Zach is beginning to form some good friendships. When I look back, I can see the twists and turns my life has had. I always was looking for that Prince Charming, and finding him certainly took my life in some directions I hadn't expected. But looking back, I wouldn't want to change them. They have made me who I am today. I realize that I do not live the life that most 26-year olds probably live. That is okay with me. I could not be more blessed to have the husband and son that I have.

Marriage is not always rosy, but even those down times are made better just by knowing that person is still there and is going through it with you. I have seen marriages formed and broken in the six years we have been married. It is a sad thing to witness. I believe that there is a huge attack on marriages...after all, if Satan can destroy marriages, he can break down everyone in those families and those in contact with the families that have been destroyed. It is definitely a domino effect. Gary and I are very committed to growing our marriage. It does take work, but is effort well spent, never wasted. It is rewarding.

Twenty years ago, when I was six, I had no idea what my life would be like, but looking back, I see that what I really wanted is still what I want. I wanted to learn, I wanted to care for others, I wanted my Prince and I wanted to make good friendships. I feel so blessed to be where I am today. I thank God for my husband, and I am so glad to be marking yet another year with him. It is through the help of the Lord that we will press on together...and I can't imagine it any other way.