10 YEARS!

I have found the one whom my soul loves.  

Song of Solomon 3:4 

As I think back to 10 years ago... Brian and I certainly had a fairy tale romance, complete with a perfect proposal, a dream-come-true wedding, and an amazing honeymoon.  Our love for each other was so intoxicating, which is how it should be in the beginning...  

Fast forward 10 years... and it does seem to have gone fast in some ways, though in other ways I feel as if we have been together for decades...

We've been through some tough times... more from people and situations outside of our control than anything else.  We have remained a united front, though the degree to which we are united continually grows.   We haven't always seen eye to eye, though this became less of an issue when we began to see heart to heart. 
We have waded through decisions, heartbreak, and difficulties early in our marriage only to come out stronger on the other side.

We aren't perfect by any means, but we are essentially perfecting what it means to be us a little more each year.

When we were dating I couldn't believe all the ways in which we were alike.  That was a great starting point for a relationship.  Today though we are more unified than we were those years ago.  We are alike in small things but more importantly we share the things that really matter... the same hopes, dreams, convictions, goals, beliefs... This oneness is a our foundation.

In 10 years we have grown as individuals and we have grown together.  

Our love no longer belongs in a fairy tale.  Fairy tale love is beautiful but it is not strong.  It is breathtaking, but it is not mature.  It is all-encompassing, but it is not everlasting.  

Our love has evolved, and will continue to evolve into what God Himself designed it to be... because we both desire this with our whole hearts.

 I don't know if I can say that I love Brian more today than I did on the day we married, but I CAN say that my love for him today is more deep, more enduring, more selfless, more seasoned, and more complete than it was when I said "I do."  

And I have experienced such changes in his love for me as well.

Happy Anniversary My Love.  

I think we only get better with time!

I read this quote recently and loved it:

A Oneness Marriage is formed by a husband and wife who are grafting intimacy, trust, and understanding with one another. It's a couple chiseling out a common direction, purpose, and plan. A Oneness Marriage demands a lifetime process of relying on God and forging an enduring relationship according to His design. It's more than a mere mingling of two humans—it's a tender merger of body, soul, and spirit.  -Dennis Rainey