He and Me

So, here we are at the lake with my family in Kentucky. It just so happens that tomorrow is Earle and my 10th anniversary. Every year, it seems like we have been on a family trip around this time of the year because it is so near the 4th of July and everyone has an extra day or two off. I am pretty sure that 10 years ago, it sounded like a perfect weekend for our wedding so that people would be off and able to travel.  As a matter of fact I can't remember the last time we did anything just for us on our anniversary. That is okay! We are having a great time with my family! We have plans to go on a trip in November as our 10 year anniversary gift to ourselves. We also decided before we left that we were not going to worry about getting or doing anything for each other this week because of that.
I feel a little bad because after we made this agreement, I did not even get a chance to get out and get a card for him. He always says that the cards and gifts are just for the woman anyway but I don't always agree with that. This is why I hope this post will at least suffice for a card.
Ten years ago, I had dated my then fiance' for three months and been engaged for another three. This was the night before my wedding, and I really had absolutely no cold feet or hesitation before I jumped right in. I did not really know Earle, but I knew that it felt exactly right and that he was the man for me. After we got married, there was a brief period of, "Oh my word, who is this person and what have we gotten ourselves into!" But after the better part of a year or so, this changed and we started to become a little more of one person than of two people.
We lived away from both sets of our parents and I think that was a really good thing for us at first.  It made us learn to communicate with each other instead of through other people.  I remember early on praying that God grow Earle in certain areas that were of interest to me. I was surprised that after a couple of years, God was really growing him into a man who was a great Christian leader for our home.  I am sure that Earle prayed similar prayers for me, but strangely we grew to have more and more in common and with every turn, seemed to have more similar goals and focuses.  After the first five years of our marriage Earle and I started our crazy five years of moving. Earle and I would have major transition obstacles to overcome and though we would be tired and cranky, exhausted and apprehensive, we somehow managed to lean on each other to get through these tough times. After a few years, one day it dawned on me that when I referred to "home" it did not mean in Paducah, with my parents, but it meant that it was anywhere that Earle was that I would rather go home to. I will also say, it was during these same five years that we started our family and I was able to see what a gift that God had given me in Earle as a father to my children. Earle has such a heart for children and is so patient with them, I have learned to really admire that trait in him. He has taken great care of me in times that I have been sick, and he has been so patient with me.
I guess what I am trying to say here is that to me, it is not the day that counts or the event or gift given on this decade anniversary, but it is all of the days in between that count to me. It is the daily life events that proves how much I know that Earle is committed to me and to our boys and to God. Strangely enough, though he and I are so different in so many ways, I have recently realized that we are both better because of the other one. We are much more efficient together rather than individually, and I believe that God has used our collective spiritual "gifts" much more than our separate ones.
Don't get me wrong, we both have our faults, and we have also had hard moments, but I am so glad that God picked him for me to struggle with through some of these areas. I love that Earle is eager to learn and grow from each new perspective and experience, always looking upward.
I have to say, I love him more than I did those ten years ago. Much more actually. He was definitely the one for me. Ten years ago, on this night before my wedding, I did not even know what to hope for in a husband, I mean I could think of a couple of things, but seriously, I did not have a clue what this journey was going to entail. God truly surpassed my expectations of what a spouse should be, and with each turn, I am amazed at this gift God has given me. I love you Earle, thank you for becoming who you are. Thank you not only for being yourself, but letting God mold you with each passing day. Thank you for your mind, thank you for you compassionate heart and thank you for loving me.
CB