Sunday, February 9, 2014

Marriage: Celebrating the Silly Things

Yes, I thought it was silly. But early into my marriage, we celebrated those kinds of “anniversaries.” The one month anniversary. The first New Year’s Day as a married couple. Our first Christmas as a married couple. The first Valentine’s Day as a married couple. My wife is big into this kind of thing but I generally just went along. It was important to her so it was important to me, but, really, my heart wasn’t in it.

Now that we’ve been married a while – it was 25 years this past August – I’ve come to truly appreciate one of these silly anniversaries in particular – Jan. 25. It was on that date in 1986 that Rachael and I went on our official first date. It was official because I specifically asked her to go with me to the Movie Pub in Auburn to watch a movie, eat hot dogs and drink a couple of beverages.

We’ve celebrated this anniversary every year without fail. It usually includes flowers, a card and dinner out. And, like clockwork, I can always count on someone to tease me about it. Tell me how silly it is.

But as I continue to read stories about high divorce rates, I take more and more pride in celebrating the “little things.” The silly things. Marriage is hard work and I look forward to celebrating many more “silly” anniversaries. I have learned to appreciate these small moments that have led to a wonderful life of love and happiness.

Blog Archive