#NOTsoRandomFact: Thirty-six years ago TODAY, my parent's vowed to take each other as husband and wife; to have and to hold, from that day forward, for better – for worse, for richer – for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do them part.
HAPPY 36th ANNIVERSARY to STANFORD & KAREN NELSON!!!
(So yeah, I know "Time Travel Tuesday" is NOT a thing, BUT, the picture above is of my parents on this day back in 1979)
During the past few weeks and months, I've been thinking A LOT about marriage, romantic relationships and love. In 2015, especially, I've observed and experienced love at its best (as well as at its worst). As I reflect on these experiences, some of them quite painful, ULTIMATELY, I'm thankful.
Today, I'm ESPECIALLY thankful for being able to watch the evolution of my parents' marriage. What I've observed has underscored what many quotes on Instagram and Pintrest state: relationships (and ultimately MARRIAGES) are NOT EASY. Life is inherently challenging. The good news is:
As I continue my journey to find God's life match/partner for me, one lesson I've learned that I hope to apply is that “the one” is the person with whom I water the grass not just when it’s convenient and my spouse is the person I want/need them to be (and I am the person they want/need me to be). Most importantly, my future spouse is the person with (and for) whom I choose/desire to continue watering the grass when one or both of us are at our worst. Together, we will preserve and continually strengthen/improve our house.***
The truth I want to send up this Tuesday, December 22, 2015 is a quote about marriage that I want to share with all those who are married, engaged and praying one day to be married:
By the way, congrats to the recently engaged!!!
*** CLARIFICATION: In case the "house" reference sounds oddly abstract, let me explain a little further: one of my favorite songs is “I Want a House” by a group called Mr. Twin Sister:
The song above describes my dating/relationship philosophy fairly succinctly:
SONG LYRIC: "I want a house";
MY DATING PHILOSOPHY: I want something lasting/permanent
SONG LYRIC: "Built of old wood";
MY DATING PHILOSOPHY: Solid/100% real construction materials required (e.g. honesty, respect, ability to communicate)
SONG LYRIC: "You can paint it any color you like";
MY DATING PHILOSOPHY: Superficial details don’t matter that much to me (e.g. height, skin color, favorite foods)
SONG LYRIC: "Just so long as I can live with you";
MY DATING PHILOSOPHY: “The one” is the person for whom my soul yearns because we are uniquely compatible (i.e. are good for, to and with each other)
