Weddings

So, I attended a wedding this weekend, my husband's niece got married. I love weddings, for all the romantic reasons most women love weddings. And as I get older, and now that I'm married, weddings mean different things to me than they used to. I think when I was young and single, I liked them because there was romance in the air, seeing two people commit their lives to each other gave me hope, if they could find each other, then I should be able to find someone, too, right? And, let's be honest, I love a guy in a tux or nice suit. So, eventually I found my husband and trapped him...uh, I mean, we decided to get married. There was the usual planning of the wedding fun...trying on dresses, shopping with my mom and my sister and sister in laws, getting everyone's opinion on everything from the shoe color to napkins. Before I knew it it was my wedding day, one of the best days of my life. It flew by, and it was wonderful. So now, when I go to a wedding, I remember the details of my wedding day, how nervous I was, how the weather was so beautiful, how we danced and danced, and then how exhausted I was when it was all over. I've been married for about fifteen years now. My husband and I have made it through some tough times, as well as good times. We've each lost a parent, we've had two healthy babies together, we've bought a house, changed jobs, the usual milestones in life that you share with a partner. But to be honest, you never really know how you'll react to these things before they happen. You just sort of take a leap of faith and optimism, and luckily, it turns out my husband is a wonderful man after all. I realize now how little I really knew him when we got married. And I appreciate and love him so much more now. After years of seeing people I know go through painful divorces, and remarriages, and all that goes with that... I really enjoy weddings. So these days when I attend a wedding, I see the optimism in the couple getting married, I pray they'll make it, and it renews my memories and my faith in human kind. It's a reason to celebrate, and a reason to thank God for my marriage.
As a side note, I made some new shirts for my Cafepress store, CreativethoughtTshirts.com, mostly they're for bachelorette parties...bridesmaids, mother of the bride, mother of the groom, bride to be, etc. They can be found here.