Marriage and Birthday Cakes

My husband and I had a lot in common when we met and married back in 1998, but we have spent the last 13 years really getting on the same page.  There are just so many things you need to figure out when you join your life with another person's--how to juggle responsibilities, how to spend leisure time, how to handle mood swings, how to raise children, how to decorate (or not decorate) the bathroom counter, how to spend money . . . .  The list goes on and on.

I have the unique privilege of being married to my best friend, and I know that is a huge blessing.  Eric is my number one fan, and I'm his.  We know that marriage isn't about two perfect people marrying each other.  It's about two very imperfect people trying to help one another become the best they can be. 

However, this "becoming" isn't always so easy.  Every marriage has ups and downs.  Every couple has differences of opinion sometimes.  Every couple has to exhibit large amounts of unselfishness in order to create a strong union.  It's just part of the package.

I thought today I could share one idea that's helped me keep a bright perspective--even when life has been stressful for our family.  It consists of simply focusing on our best moments.

Here's one I think about all the time:

A few months after we married, it was my 21st birthday (yes, I was young bride, but I wouldn't go back and change a thing).  I came home from work, and Eric had baked me a birthday cake, on which he tried to write "Happy Birthday April."

We didn't have any frosting, so he mixed powdered sugar and water together and tried to pipe the words onto the cake--except the mixture was a little too runny, so it turned into a gloppy mess.  He was apologetic as he showed it to me, but I was ELATED.  His effort to make my birthday special was what really mattered.  He'd planned a date night out and packed a little picnic, and I was on top of the world.

I keep this picture in a place where I can see it often, and it never ceases to bring a smile to my face. 

 

Whenever we're in the midst of figuring out our "oneness," I think of events like this one, and I remind myself that I am married to a great man.  Neither of us is perfect, but together, we are creating the best lives (and the best family) we possibly can.