We Survived 9 Years

And yes I titled that correctly...... WE SURVIVED 9 YEARS!!!

Looking back over the past 9 years of marriage I can't lie I am shocked we are still here together.  

We have had lots of :

ups and downs, 

good and bad, 

happy and sad,

joy and heartache,

and nice and down right mean moments.

We have both seen each other at our worst and at our best.  There were times I didn't know why we kept on trying, but in the end the thing that tears most couples apart "tragedy/loss" is what made us stronger than ever before.  That is why I truly believe with all my heart Braxton was more than just our first born son, he was and still is what saved us!  The following poems were read at our wedding and the words are hanging in our living room as a constant reminder.  Nine years ago I thought I knew exactly what my life would be and how it would play out.  Oh how I was wrong!  Reading these words today I am blown away by how much that truly apply to us as a couple. 
Happy Anniversary Brent!

(And on a little side note: Happy Anniversary to my Mom & Dad today too!!)

My Husband’s Hands

These are the hands young and strong and vibrant with love,

that held yours at your Wedding Mass

as he promised to love you all the days of his life.

These are the hands that, God willing, you will place with expectant joy

beneath your heart one day until he, too,

feels his child stir within your womb.

These are the hands that look so large and clumsy now,

yet will be so gentle when he holds your baby for the first time.

These are the hands that will get nicked and bruised

from fixing things around the house to make you more comfortable.

These are the hands that will caress you lovingly throughout the years.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe tears from your eyes,

tears of sorrow and tears of joy.

These are the hands that will comfort you in illness

And hold you when fear or grief racks you mind.

These are the hands that will tenderly lift your chin and brush your cheek,

as they raise your face to look into his eyes,

eyes that will be filled completely with

his overwhelming love and desire for you.

My Wife’s Hands

These are the hands that held you today as she gave you her pledge

to love you, and accepted your ring at your Wedding Mass.

These are the hands that are smooth and young and carefree now,

but will become lined and rougher in the years ahead, from thousands of

dishes washed, tons of laundry cleaned, and hundreds of meals prepared.

These are the hands that, God willing, will hold you in joy and excitement,

each time she says you are to have another child,

that together you have created a new life.
These are the hands that will hold each child in tender love, soothing them
through illness, disciplining them, diapering them, baking for them, praying

for them, and wringing themselves in worry when trouble comes.

Perhaps these are the hands that will comfort you when you are told you

cannot have a child and will convince you

that together you can create new life in other ways.

These are the hands that through the years will caress you.

These are the hands that will tenderly hold your face and wipe tears

from your eyes, in wonder and awe that you would cry for her.