Rewriting The Vows five years and many lives later

Sometimes looking back is sad, and sometimes it is great. Sometimes when the spirit is happy we need to go back for a quick visit.

I remember this girl...

I forget about her sometimes.....

One time she was a blissful newlywed having a blast at life with this guy...

Then we decided to do this...

Which resulted in this....

My beautiful baby boy.

And we moved a lot...

Texas

Tennessee

Texas

South Carolina

Tennessee

And during that time we did this...

My Hubby took some insane maternity photos for me.

And that resulted in a "she" who spent a week like this...

This is my daughter in the NICU spending time with her Daddy

But when she came home it was....

PERFECT!

And suddenly all of those things we vowed to do suddenly seemed like just the tip of the iceberg. 

We have stayed committed to our union for better or worse, through surgeries, and 5ks, through great jobs and job losses. 

All though on paper we've done it all just as we vowed, we both realized that those standard vows were not nearly what we would promise one another now. Not nearly what we are going to teach our children to promise on their wedding day. 

As we washed and dried the day's dishes we began to recite our version of what our vows should be. 

His: 

I promise to listen to you and seem interested even if I'm not really.

I promise to protect you after you give birth and allow you to heal without adding stress or worry. 

I promise to move you all over the country and uproot you every chance I get. (Okay that one was really said, and while true, only meant to be funny)

I promise to speak to you the way I did when we were only dating one week. As though you have the option to change your mind even though I know you don't and won't. 

Mine:

I promise to listen to your feelings even when I think they are offensive. 

I promise to go everywhere you take me and make it work. Even if it is hard at first, after my seemingly eternal, but truly brief depression, I will figure it out.

 I promise to give you a home no matter where it may be that you can come to for comfort and refuge from the rest of the world. 

I promise to look beyond myself and consider ways to meet your needs in the way that you need them met instead of the way I think it would work best.

I won't remember every single mean thing you say to me, but rather write the love notes and compliments on my heart as love keeps no record of wrongs.

Most of all we would promise to face our problems head on and not by attacking one another, but by coming together to find the answer. Like any other problem we will look to the book where the answers can be found. (B.I.B.L.E in case I don't make that clear)

There were a LOT more silly ones and lots of laughter, but we have realized that we are stronger for all of our misunderstandings, and ready to renew and refresh. Starting with some late night laughter and sweet words standing over the kitchen sink. 

Just because a minister told you about budgeting and asked you why you wanted to get married, doesn't mean you are ready or qualified. One thing that will stir up a marriage is if one person is ready to put Jesus first and the other isn't. Knowing who you are in Christ before you "I Do" is a major player in a happy marriage.

Take the time to remember your beginnings. 

Proverbs 5:18 "May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth."

Take the time to reunite and speak kindly in laughter and a good spirit. Often.

Courtney