Who were those young people?

Fourteen years ago this very minute, I was getting my nails and hair done, preparing to walk down the aisle in my fairy tale wedding. That night, just after 7 pm., I walked out to meet one very nervous young man, amid a candle lit church, in front of my uncle and his father, who married us. We were both 19.

I was very young, not just in years, but in wisdom, maturity, expectations, and perceptions. In many ways married life did not live up to my fairy tale ending dreams.

But I've come to discover it is better than that. While a more realistic idea of what it would be like may have saved me some angst in the early years :-), I have come to appreciate that true love shows itself best by always being there, even when your wife is nagging, frustrated with the kids, or generally not having a good day. It is shown when the baby has croup and you work together to make sure she is ok. It is in the everyday conversations, the planning of the budget, the praying together. It's in sharing the good times and bad, serving each other as well as others.

So today, as I think back over the last 14 years, I just praise the Lord that He brought us together, and has guided us. Thank you, Kelly, for being my best friend, supporter, encourager, and for showing me that real love is better than any fairy tale.