The First Year

Tonight I will celebrate one year of marriage with Mr. Wonderful.
It feels like our lives have been intertwined for so much longer,
and I cannot overstate the benefits of marrying my very best friend.

He is the one I want to turn to when life gets interesting...in a good or a bad way.  He reminds me of God's goodness and faithfulness and creates a deep security in me.  He loves me well and provides the support and freedom to be my best self.  He is more than I dared to hope for in a lifelong companion.

We are young, as far as relationships go.  Yet one of the best part of dating in mid-life is that you really know yourself.  You know what you like, what you do and don't care about and you know what you need.  I think we both did the work to learn what was right and what went wrong in our first marriages to make the best choice this time.  And so, while our relationship is young, we benefit from years of maturity as individuals that make our relationship so rich.

This has been a year of learning to cook enough at mealtimes to feed seven people.  We have tried to balance speaking up to help each other and stepping back to allow freedom for trial and error.  We have both had vehicle blunders, and our schedules have been stretched to the max.  As a big blended family we have visited the pumpkin patch, hung our stockings together, hiked and gone to the beach.  We have celebrated birthdays and first dates.  Our washing machine has held on through hundreds of cycles.

Sometimes we divide and spend time in our original nuclear forms. We honor the people and paths that brought us to where we are today.  Not one person in our home would have, or could have, imagined what this family would like like five years ago.  I'm so thankful that God had this in store and that we each trusted Him in our own journey to this day.

We can only credit Him with crazy-romantic-unpredictable-wonderful story that is our family!  If you can't imagine a life better than where you are today, I would encourage you that is okay.  What God plans is so much more - He is with you!

"Not For a Moment"

You were reaching through the storm 
Walking on the water 
Even when I could not see 
In the middle of it all 
When I thought You were a thousand miles away 
Not for a moment did You forsake me 
Not for a moment did You forsake me 

After all You are constant 
After all You are only good 
After all You are sovereign 
Not for a moment will You forsake me 
Not for a moment will You forsake me 

You were singing in the dark 
Whispering Your promise 
Even when I could not hear 
I was held in Your arms 
Carried for a thousand miles to show 
Not for a moment did You forsake me 


And every step every breath you are there 
Every tear every cry every prayer 
In my hurt at my worst 
When my world falls down 
Not for a moment will You forsake me 
Even in the dark 
Even when it's hard 
You will never leave me 
After all 

Not for a moment will You forsake me.