On June 23rd (two days ago) it was our 31st wedding anniversary. I love anniversaries as a way to take time out of all the busyness of life and be reminded of that choice we made all those years ago.
(I’m sometimes not so great at decisions, but I hit the jackpot on this one.)
And all the good that has come from that one good decision.
Since we were in Utah settling Lucy into her new surroundings, we celebrated in the mountains.
We started our celebrations the night before in downtown Salt Lake and marveled that thirty-one years ago we were making our marriage vows in that temple that is getting re-built at the moment.
A Morning Hike
On the anniversary morning we started out with a morning hike.
It was all fine and dandy, and BEAUTIFUL. Until we lost our bearings and had to go straight up the mountain.
What’s that you say? It doesn’t look that steep? Well, sometimes cameras can be tricky, believe you me. Because that sucker was relentless. And we hiked straight uphill for a long time.
But the view was so worth it.
As well as the sore legs. Yes, I love that. It helps so appreciate my body and how it works.
But isn’t that a cool thing about marriage? And life in general. You can put in the hard work and brave through the messy, steep climbs. But if you take the time to look, there are beautiful vantage points along the way. You remember how much you’ve learned, and how far those sore legs have taken you.
Thirty-one years in, I can say with certainty that the steep parts are what have made us stronger. The miscommunications, the hard seasons, the moments we had to choose each other on purpose. Those are the very things that have shaped us into better partners.
And honestly, I wouldn’t trade a single uphill stretch. It’s all part of the messiness that creates growth.
We got to go back to where we spent the first night of our honeymoon to swim and relax after our hike.
It was a little piece of Heaven right there.
We took the chairlift up and back through all that mountain beauty.
We went to dinner.
And took a sunset walk.
And basked in that decision we made all those years ago.
Little did I even know back then how lucky I was to get this man to be my husband. He completes me in more ways than I can name and he is my very best friend. He knows how to quiet my crazy, to talk deep, he is the best communicator, protector and big idea man. I’m so thankful for where his big ideas have taken us and for his ability to see the big picture of life. And to put me in the middle of it.
Sorry for the mushiness which he doesn’t love. But hey, anniversaries merit that Dave!
My dad sent us a poem he wrote on our wedding day that he had never shared before and I loved it so much I wanted to share it here to keep it forever.
A Poem My Dad Wrote When We Got Married
Together They Are Grace (first daughter’s wedding)
She moves in a glide, radiant smile lights and lifts
(More contact with sky than ground)
And compassion glows within its embers.
He stands relaxed, aware, confident,
A sensitive glance that overrides cockiness and focuses
More interest on others than self.
Together they are grace.
(Something given not attained, granted not acquired).
Golden, the early sun against their young backs,
Their long shadows falling forward framing a future filled
With deep, divine destiny.
Two souls of such shimmering significance
Hand in hand now, each other found
Straightening the new, shared course
That seeks now, more than gropes.
A blended beauty, lean and luminous, striking and
Lingering a little past logic
And sending the still, sure sense that the source
Is within, not without.
Two pure hearts, sweet but seasoned, tender yet tried,
Joining, merging, melding, melting.
Overlapping into One
That stretches more than twice as tall
And reaches for the light.
Thank you dear Dad of mine! I hope we can keep reaching for the light as we traverse all the trails and mountains that await.
Love you forever David Stuart.