When we get married, we recite some version of vows that say something like this:
“I, (Bride/Groom), take you (Groom/Bride), to be my (wife/husband), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.”
When we stand there and we say those words, we know what they mean, but we don’t really KNOW what they mean. We stand there and we dream about all the bests (and that’s okay!) But we haven’t yet experienced the act of CHOOSING to take our spouse to have and to hold on a worse, poorer, or sickly day – that part comes with time. Choosing to get married is a choice in one moment of time, choosing to BE married, to stay that way, is a choice we make again and again and again.
Sometimes our spouses fail us – or we fail them. Sometimes life gives us lemons and we have to deal with job losses or serious health issues. There will be bad days (weeks, months, years) for one reason or another. Choosing to love and forgive, to have and to hold, on the good days AND bad doesn’t mean overlooking issues or ignoring challenges, it means to choosing to work on them for the sake of the marriage.
A strong marriage, like a strong body, comes from hard work and perseverance, and choosing to love AGAIN and AGAIN, each new day.
Marriage Minute:
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Thank you! After many years of unemployment, our marriage has been a struggle, but we are choosing to love, choosing to walk with one another through the hard places.
Being a military spouse for 17 years, I have been able to practice what your talking about. Well-Any marriage gives us the chance. And it is during those times that exercise our relationship and get stronger. Sometimes we even have to heal when things get broken. But once healed we are often stronger. Such a great topic!
[…] Marriage Minute – Again & Again :: A Classic Housewife in a Modern World – Yes. Share this:PinterestFacebookTwitterEmailMoreGoogle +1StumbleUponDigg This entry was posted in Good Reads on January 26, 2013 by Vicki. […]