4 years

I thought and thought today about what I should say to commemorate our fourth anniversary. But, anything I thought of, I felt like I'd already shared before. I've said how much I love Darby and how much I love being married to him here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here, for example.

Then, I tried to think about what made our fourth year of marriage distinctive. And, honestly, I couldn't really think of anything. Like every other year, we've laughed, we've cried; we've fought, we've made up; we've enjoyed trips and special dates and we've also enjoyed the daily routine; we've been reminded of how much we love each other, and, yes, we've occasionally been reminded of why we annoy each other. :)

And then I realized that this consistency is what I love about our marriage. Our fourth year hasn't been dramatically different from our first, second, or third year. They've all been wonderful. And the more years we put under our belt, the more faith I have that they will continue to be wonderful. Our life circumstances change, but our marriage is a foundation for us during those changes.

A few weeks ago, on the Today show, they were talking with an author of a book on marriage, who was saying that a majority of couples in America have mediocre marriages. She defined this by using her own marriage as an example. She said something like, "Sure, my marriage is doing okay at this moment, but I always know in the back of my mind that this might be our last year together." She said this as if most married couples think this way. Darby and I could not believe that. How sad. One of the most wonderful things about marriage is the security of knowing the other person is always going to be there for you. I can't imagine living in a marriage without that.

So, today, on our 4th anniversary, I'm thankful that all I can say is what I've said a hundred times before: I'm so blessed to have Darby as my husband and I'm looking forward to many years to come.