Thoughts on Our 23 Years Together

Dear Joshua and Luke,

Daddy and I celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary this weekend.  You both had a valentine sleepover at Grammy and Papa's house.  Dad and I had a quiet weekend together.  After going to church with both of you and Grammy, we went out to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants from way back ~ Sweet Tomatoes.  The best salads and soups anywhere!  We talked a lot about you guys and our last twenty-three years together.  You will be glad to know that it was unanimous that you two are the best things that have come out of our marriage.  You both are gifts and miracles at the same time.  We went to the movies, went shopping, slept in late, and drove around in the afternoon looking for houses.  We used to drive around to look at houses and things all the time.  It was a great way to spend the day.  You both had a great day, too.  After watching a movie at Grammy and Papa's house, you played and played with toys that Grandma has picked out special for you.  Then, she took you shopping at the book store, to a movie, then out to eat at Steak 'N Shake.  It was a great time for both of you!

As I have blogged to you before, marriage is really hard sometimes, but the payoff outweighs the hard work.  I am sure you know the cliche' ~  Nothing good is ever easy.  Here are a few things that Dad and I find very important on our marriage.  First of all, keep God as a central part of your relationship.  Pray together every day.  I honestly believe that this is one of the essential parts of a relationship, especially a long term one.  You might have heard another saying, "The family that prays together, stays together."  Communicate, communicate, and communicate some more.  Respectfully of course.  Really listen to each other.  I do not claim to be experts at either of these things, but I know they are important to us and our relationship.  Knowing how to say you are sorry has been important to us.  And saying it sincerely.  Now I know you will not need this marriage advice until you are at least thirty, but that's OK.  You can save this blog for use much later on.   

You both had your first basketball game this week.  Luke's team is called Little Chiefs.  Luke was excited to play.  When he first got to the gym, he sat down and talked to his friend, Avery.  Luke loves that part of basketball.  But we were really proud of you. Luke stayed on the court in his spot for defense.  He ran down the court, and kept his eye on the ball most of the time.  Joshua's team is called the Blue Sharks.  Joshua has a lot of speed going up and down the court.  He can dribble and run fast.  He really knows how to move the ball.  You both worked hard with your team, and we are very proud of you. 

I love you more today than yesterday.

Love,
Mama