He's the jelly to my peanut butter.
The band-aid to my cut.
The warmth within my quilt.
The cheese topping on the pizza.
The Gilbert to my Anne.
At times he's the crust on that sandwich.
He can be a pill taken without enough water.
Or a hot sun when you want the shade.
The salt you thought was sugar.
The stinger on the bee
I am the wind behind his kite.
I'm his rose amidst the thorny, fruitless yard.
The ammo in his gun.
The chocolate milk in his coffee.
I get to be the salve on his painful wounds.
At times I'm the drippy faucet he can't turn off.
The sand stuck in your shorts after a day on the beach.
The itchy wool blanket, that keeps you warm in an annoying, scratchy way.
The crusty gunk on the plate that's supposed to be clean.
The chatter when he needs silence.
10 Years of Marriage.
It's been quite a journey.
I was 19 when we got married, he was 23.
We KNEW God had ordained this bond from nearly those first dating days.
I waited ( sometimes impatiently).
He asked in his shy way
(after making me hike 6 miles!)
I said yes.
6 months later we said "I do."
4 kids,
job changes,
leaps of faith,
in times of health and way too much sickness,
in plenty and in want,
in bills and diapers and 'no time for us',
in a world that says 'it won't last',
but a God who says "it can and it will."
We have made it here.
As much in love as we've ever been.
We still LIKE hanging out together.
His arms are my favorite place in the whole world.
And I know he feels the same.
Where we have sinned, God has given grace.
Where waves have crashed us down at times,
faith has given us wings to rise above.
There have been moments of pain.
And a ton of laughter.
There has been words said in anger,
and apologies and forgiveness offered and accepted.
A foundation was laid 10 years ago.
Walls have been built.
Sometimes overnight,
sometimes a brick here and there.
At times it gets chipped at.
Ever so often a storm comes and what we thought was firm gets shaken .
But it never falls.
It stands .
Our marriage is ordained.
Sanctified.
Set-apart.
We aren't ignorant.
We know that our kind of marriage is particularly just the kind the enemy wants to dissolve.
It won't work.
We are a cord of three not easily broken.
I know without a doubt that I am the center of Jerad's life
(apart from Christ).
And he is my world.
We are in love more today than ever before.
Alongside friends who have seen heartache, divorce and pain that won't cease this side of Heaven.
It pains me to watch.
And then I rejoice in what I have.
A good man. An honorable man.
A God-fearing man.
We walk by eachother's side, not because we have to but because we WANT to.
Thank You Jesus,
should you tarry could we have another 70 or so just like the last 10?
Amen,
Mandy
