one amazing year

A year ago yesterday, I stood in front of my friends and family looking into the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen and telling that girl that I would spend the rest of my life with her, no matter what happened. A year later, I am still amazed that God has chosen me to be with this girl, to call her my best friend, and to share life with her as long as our days will allow us. How great is my God that he would bless me in such a way! I am grateful daily for Lydia and that she chose me as well.

We have been talking a lot lately about how quickly this last year has gone and how grateful we were how well the first year went. In fact as we were going to bed last night, she remarked "I thought that the first year was supposed to be rough!". That is an interesting thought. I guess that in the flurry of being married, I hadn't really considered that we should be having a hard time or that marriage should be really difficult. Yes, it is an adjustment and yes, you have to share space while navigating another persons personality all the while. However, I have found most of the difficulties that I have faced have been self-imposed. That is, I have learned more about myself in the last year than I ever have and that isn't always the best thing. When you are single for a long period of time like I was, you get pretty selfish in your ways and you don't realize how things might come across or how your little quirks can not always be the easiest things for others to handle. I have learned so much about myself while sharing my life with someone who is willing to let me know when I am being a jerk or when she is really happy with me.

In other words, I probably isolated myself from other people for way to long in my life. While I worked a very public job in ministry, I tended to shut myself off from others during my "off time". Sometimes I wish I had allowed people a little closer so that I could learn more about myself and them for that matter. No worries, though. God had someone in mind that he wanted me to wait a while for, that I could learn the best from.

So, here I am, learning about myself daily, living life with my best friend, and looking forward to years and years of doing this "married" thing. I am grateful and blessed.