Anniversary

Today is anniversary day.  Ten years married.  For people our age that is not real long.  But both of us married later in life.  For the first time.  It was not like either of us has been living with partners or had kids.  We both just felt it would happen but in the meantime kept busy doing what we were doing.
I remember someone at work saying they had celebrated 27 years of marriage.  He thanked his wife for 25 years.  She pointed out it was 27 and he said I was thanking you for the good years.
It is a fact of life that marriage is the coming together of two individuals.  Each brings both positive and negative things to the relationship.  As I say so often, the definition of a friend is someone who, when you make a mistake, does not think you have done a permanent job.
Two people cannot be together without each knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the other.  Yet is seems to me, that as each is open to change, both acknowledge the work in progress thing.  Mistakes are not a permanent job.
The journey together is so worthwhile.  I am wrapped that someone will put up with me warts and all.  It seems all I can do is give it my best shot.  No relationship to me is a matter of force but a matter of free will.  Part of many marriage vows is “for better or worse”.  Better I enjoy.  Worse I endure.
But it is weird.  I think both make me stronger.  Ok I am a guy and it makes me think of footy.  When things are good, I endeavour to score as many tries as possible.  When things are tough, I defend for all I am worth.  So often coaches are heard to say defence won us that game.  Winning teams make the most of both.  Winning marriages make the most of both too.  Celebrations are in order.  The team song is to be sung.
At one stage I was taking a few tablets.  I was allergic to one.  All I knew was I was getting crook for a day.  I had my suspicions though.  I thought it might be one particular tablet.  To test it, I thought I will take half of that one, and I will get crook for half a day.
Drastic but it worked.  It seems in marriage too I can have attitudes and outlooks that cause the marriage to be not all it can be. Suspicions are tested.  The problems are identified and dealt with.  The process is not pleasant, but the outcome is.  Some medicine is bitter to the taste but produces great results.  I still had to take that kind of tablet, but a different one fixed the problem.
But difficulties are the exception and not the rule.  For the vast majority of marriage life is good.  I have grown closer to Merril over the years, and she has grown closer to me.  What I particularly love is that Merril knows me warts and all and not only loves me anyway but loves me more and more.
I find that inspiring.  It encourages me.  To me, the best relationships bring out the best.  Mistakes are a steppingstone rather than a stop sign.  We regularly pray together.  When we do, the water rises, and any injury done by the stone is dealt with and I can avoid troublesome steppingstones in the future.
All I can say is, what’s not to like?