Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Until Death Do Us Part

Today, my husband and I celebrate 18 years of marriage, and 28 of knowing one another. These married years have been the best, since we have each other, our two children, and the assortment of pets. Best of all, we (re) discovered Christ together. What a wild and joyous ride!

I'm glad there's not much drama in our household. Even while having heated discussions, we don't elbow one another or sling insults (by the way, the Shakespeare insults are taped to my office door, along with Hoehne's First Law, and a picture of my husband while umpiring -- You're Out!).

The kids still remember the BIG FIGHT we had about who was going to clean the cat box. I was either pregnant and nursing for a good four years, so I happily dumped this chore onto my husband, along with all the digging one has to do in the garden, the oil changes in the car, the finances, and numerous other small things, like changing light bulbs. But my husband has always done everything graciously. I've reformed my ways since then and taken over the cat-box cleaning.


Without so many words, my children are learning about what to look for in a mate. My son is learning to be a man from his father, and my daughter is learning what kind of a man she ought to give her heart to. And so we pray, not just for our own marriage and family to remain strong and centered in Christ, but also for the children's future spouses and families for the remaining generations. Since God stands outside of time, I find myself praying for the generations before me as well.

Today is an ordinary day, really. I've done my morning chores and cooked a big pot of chili and an apple crisp for this evening. We'll probably go swimming for a while. But I can't forget it's also the Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe, that he gave up his life to take the place of a man who had a family.

It is a good day to celebrate marriage and family. It is a good day to celebrate a book birthday: The Voice of Thunder by Mirka Breen.

Congratulations!!!

10 comments:

Mirka Breen said...

Beautiful. I admire Catholic marriages, an ideal to aspire to.
I am so honored you tied my book's BD to your covenant.

Faith E. Hough said...

CONGRATULATIONS! I hope you have many, many more such wonderful years together. Ever since our wedding day, my husband and I have prayed to grow daily closer to each other through God and closer to God through each other. It's clear that that's exactly the type of growing you and Michael have done, and it makes me so happy to see your witness. Thank you!

Stephanie Theban said...

Lovely. I learned much from watching my parents who have now been married 63 years and have 3 children who have each been married for over 20 years and no divorces. Good role models mean so much.

Ruth Schiffmann said...

Happy Anniversary, Vijaya. Thanks for sharing this lovely glimpse of your marriage and your family.

(My husband and I celebrate 26 years together tomorrow.)

Vijaya said...

Thank YOU all.

Mirka, we were atheists when we married. Three years ago, after our conversion, we rec'd the Sacrament and how I wish we'd been people of faith back in our teens and 20s. God is good.

Faith, I love your prayer. You know, I also prayed for greater faith, and He brought you into my life.

Stephanie, what a wonderful family legacy. It reminds me of how the generations are blessed because of the ones before them because they lived according to God's laws.

Ruth, a very happy anniversary to you!

Bish Denham said...

A nice tribute to your lives together. Congratulations on 18 years!

Marcia said...

What a wonderfully creative photo to post along with this.

And yes, your children are learning wonderful things about marriage!

Happy anniversary to you both.

Christina Farley said...

I really enjoyed this post. I'm so happy for you and your husband. Putting your relationship in God's hands you can't go wrong.

A.L. Sonnichsen said...

I'm a little late, but Happy Anniversary! <3 So happy for you guys - and glad you survived the BIG FIGHT. :D

Vijaya said...

Bish, thank you.

Marcia, my son takes all sorts of pictures, so all credit goes to him.

Christina, yes, the blessings do multiply when we turn towards God.

Amy, we still laugh about our big fight ...