Seventh heaven

Today, Brian & I celebrate our seventh wedding anniversary. Marriage, thus far, has been more difficult than I expected in many ways, but also more wondrous and fulfilling. The reverend who married us had excellent advice: Don't go into marriage expecting to split things 50/50. That's not the point at all. Be prepared to give 60 percent, 80 percent. Because sometimes the person you love most in your life can only give 40 or 20 percent. It's the give and take, the for better or worse that makes it magical. And, especially this summer, I've had more than my fair share of 40 and 20 percent days. Fortunately, my husband didn't stop at halfway. He reached across the midway and pulled me through.

I still adore the lyrics to Clint Black's "Something That We Do," which played while we danced our first dance at our wedding reception. They mean more today than they did then, as do the vows I took and the promises I made that day. That's yet another miracle of marriage: It continues to reveal more and more with each passing day, through each hurdle and each joy.

Today, I thank God that I answered, "Yes!"


Something That We Do
I remember well the day we wed
I can see that picture in my head
I still believe the words we said
Forever will ring true

Love is certain, love is kind
Love is yours and love is mine
But it isn't something that we find
It's something that we do

It's holding tight, lettin' go
It's flying high and laying low
Let your strongest feelings show
And your weakness, too

It's a little and a lot to ask
An endless and a welcome task
Love isn't something that we have
It's something that we do

We help to make each other all that we can be
Though we can find our strength and inspiration independently
The way we work together is what sets our love apart
So closely that you can't tell where I end and where you start

It gives me heart remembering how
We started with a simple vow
There's so much to look back on now
Still it feels brand-new

We're on a road that has no end
And each day we begin again
Love's not just something that we're in
It's something that we do

We help to make each other all that we can be
Though we can find our strength and inspiration independently
The way we work together is what sets our love apart
So closely that we can't tell where I end and where you start

Love is wide, love is long
Love is deep and love is strong
Love is why I love this song
And I hope you love it, too

I remember well the day we wed
I can see that picture in my head
Love isn't just those words we said
It's something that we do

There's no request too big or small
We give ourselves, we give our all
Love isn't someplace that we fall
It's something that we do