On Sunday, my husband and I celebrated thirteen years of marriage.
In a way it seems like we’ve been together for forever. But at the same time, I don’t feel like an old married couple at all.
I honestly do get excited when I hear the door open after a long day of work and see him there. And I look forward to the weekends, because it means more time with him.
He is the person I go to with my problems. He is my biggest cheerleader, and he supports me no matter what.
I love being that same person for him. It means so much to me when he looks to me for advice.
It’s a partnership, and we really do make each other better people.
I count myself blessed as someone that can say they married their best friend. I really do fall more in love with him as the years go on… and I was pretty head over heels in the beginning, too!
That’s not say there haven’t been hard times. We’ve both had stressful jobs that have led to stress at home.
We’re gone through the joys and pains of raising kids. We’ve faced, and gotten through, health scares and financial insecurities.
Like any couple, life has taken many turns- lots of great ones, and lots of challenging ones along the way.
For me, our unconditional love for one another is the reason why it all works.
I think you have to love your partner freely. Keeping score doesn’t help anything. Play to win in marriage and you’ll lose.
You also have to believe that person loves you unconditionally. Doubting their love doesn’t promote more love, but it can block it from flowing freely.
I think that is a secret to a happy marriage. It’s not “happy wife, happy life” or “don’t go to bed angry”. I think it’s love unconditionally, and believe your partner is doing the same.
The more you truly focus on your love for them the less you’ll fight.
You literally can’t think about how much you care for someone while also yelling at them for being “so rude”.
Focus on how you can extend more love, without anything expected in return, and you will receive more love in return.
That’s not a quote for an inspiration poster. That is literally how the universe works.
