Today marks the 10-year anniversary of the day in which I took my wife’s hand in marriage.  It has been a remarkable journey.  The years have come and left faster than Usain Bolt running the 100m (9.76).  He is arguably the fastest man ever, and commentators are now calling him, “the great man.”  This is an admirable feat.  One in which he, his family, and others should be very proud.  I feel the same way about my 10-year anniversary. 

Throughout our lives, we look for that one special person whom we admire, adore, respect, cherish, and love.  Some of us are blessed enough to find that special someone, and others of us are still looking, or have thrown in the towel, or have just plain resorted to not being married. And, some of us are even on our second or third go round.  But, whatever the case, in this particular situation it doesn’t really matter.  What matters here is that love is possible.  It is possible for those who put in the time and do the work.  I’m not talking about ordinary love, the kind that is fleeting, or tainted, but the kind that is pure, undefiled, and holy.  This kind of love takes hard work, and discipline.  Once we are blessed to find that special person, it is up to us to do the necessary work in order to be with that person, and to have the kind of loving relationship that we so desire.  It is possible.  Is it always peaches and cream, not by a long shot?  Is it always hunky dory, not in the least?  But, once you find it, and once God has blessed you with that very special person then it is possible for you to experience love in the greatest of fashions.  

I relish the fact that my wife and I have been married for ten years.  It hasn’t been easy, but one thing that we decided to do was to stay the course, to finish the race, and to fight the good fight of faith.  There were those who started out around the same time that we did, but for some reason or another, they are no longer together.  Some quit, only after a few short years, and some after a few more.  The sad thing, however, is that in each case, one party, or the other chose to exit the marriage only after a short time.  To this, I do not judge but remain prayerful.  I remain prayerful that marriage is no longer seen as something made from the stock of fairytales, and fables.  Likewise, I remain prayerful that marriage is no longer portrayed as a business deal with an exit strategy.   Finally, I remain prayerful that holy matrimony morphs greatly over the next several decades into the respected institution that the Holy Scriptures speaks so beautifully about.  Those are my prayers, and for them I am unashamed.  There is much more to be said about this topic and I’m certain that others have something to say as well, but for now, it suits me well to leave you with the fact that marriage, and love, are scared, delicate, and tender matters of the heart.  We should do our part to respect them and honor them to the best of our abilities.

To my wife, my love, and my most beautiful partner in life, I say these poetic words:

Beauty is the sun rising on the horizon of a beachfront view
Beauty is the tenderness of laughter and love echoing from deep within you
Beauty is the softness serenade of your warm embrace
Beauty is the love of my life reflections of this thing radiating from your face
Beauty is something that is not fleeting or untrue
Beauty by its own definition is the essence of you. 

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