34 Years!

This post has to fall under the 'amazing' category. It may not seem that amazing to many but to me it is. How is it possible that I have been married for 34 years?!! It was just a minute ago that I was 34. And now I have been married to my wonderful husband for well over half of my lifetime. When I think back over those 34 years I feel so blessed and yes, amazed. The adventures we have had together!

This is my marriage by the numbers:

5 absolutely fantastic, talented and beautiful children

2 times living overseas in Japan - once in Osaka with our young family and then later in Tokyo

5 years in North Vancouver

20 homes/apartments we have lived in (I shudder to think of all those moves)

6 full-fledged houses

3 homes we 'built'

5 most number of years we have lived in any one place

2 university degrees - one for each of us

2 loved sons-in-law

1 beautiful and loved daughter-in-law

5 sweet, smart and beautiful grandchildren

untold hours of joy, tears, and triumph together

(looks like 5 should be, must be my lucky number)

A while ago I was reading in the journal that I wrote when we were newly married. I was surprised by the maturity of the goals I recorded on our wedding day. In a nutshell I wanted to be a companion in every significant sense - someone who would encourage the best and understand the less than the best in my new husband. I don't know how well I have succeeded to date but it has been a privilege to try and I mean to keep trying. One thing I do know is that I am a much, much better person as a result of David's influence than I would ever have been without it. I knew the moment I saw him that I wanted him "to pick me! pick me!" and I am ever so grateful and happy that he did. One of the things I hoped for on our wedding day was that I would love him more with the passage of time than I did then and I can say for sure that if I had known then how much I would love him now I would have been.....amazed.

Photo by Eden Lang 2007