The good, the bad and the ugly. If you mapped out times during a marriage you would see a bell curve form. We’re all used to bell curves. We had to fit into them in school and now in the real world your job probably has them. You’ll have some bad times, lots of good times and some ugly times.
Our marriage is not normal. It’s not natural. It’s certainly not traditional. Yes, I was lucky enough to marry my best friend, but the twist that most couples never get to experience is that our marriage is joyful. We don’t fall into the bell curve at all.
My wife and I delight in the simple things. The things that most people take for granted. For instance, we get excited when there is close parking space at the store. No, we’re not disabled, enfeebled or otherwise disadvantaged. We both recognize the joy in being fortuitous enough to find that space.
Our daughter has been a particular source of joy for us. Most parents will tell you that raising children isn’t easy. What they leave out is that it’s a joyful experience. At the time of our daughter’s birth, she was the smallest baby to have been born, survived and make it home. Yes, she was a preemie.
I was scared when she came home, but my wife taught me to find the joy in raising her. As our 20 years passed we found more and more joyful experiences with our daughter. She’s been the best blessing we’ve been lucky enough to receive.
I guess you can see the range I’ve demonstrated. Small joys to humongous joys, so my work is done, right? Nope. What you need to understand is that on a daily basis my wife brings joy into my life and into our marriage.
You can think of it like a perpetual fountain. My wife bubbles joy throughout the day, stopping to accept and understand that things aren’t perfect. You can drink from that joy when you’re around, but please, make sure you understand what that means. Addiction is a serious thing. Take it from someone who’s addicted to the joy my wife has brought to our marriage for 20 years.
Today’s Gift: When my daughter was younger we dedicated ourselves to going to the zoo, museum, park every weekend we could. My wife loves the zoo and takes delight in panda bears. We’re taking a trip to Washington DC, so I will make sure we spend as much time as she’d like admiring the Pandas at the National Zoo.