Everyday Choices = Marriage Miracles

Dear Kids,

I think in our day and age, celebrating marriage miracles is essential. Tonight I want to celebrate the second most important marriage in my life: My Mom and Dad. They reached their 40 year anniversary today!

40 years. 

Now that I have been married for longer than a couple of years and have experienced the immense up's and down's that marriage brings, I am just completely amazed at my parents. I know about 10% of what they have gone through in their lives together. The other 90% I am coming to understand and appreciate more as I live my life.

All the stories that make up the book of their life are becoming more and more alive to me. Everything they have experienced is becoming so much more tangible to me. The immense sacrifice they put into their parenting is just starting to blow me away as I get more and more into my life as a parent. The hard work and dedication they put into raising us with a relationship with the Lord and our Savior just astounds me. They are amazing. 

I am so grateful they make the choice everyday to stay together. I am so grateful they make the choice everyday to love each other. I am so grateful they make the choice everyday to wake up next to each other, kiss each other, hold each other's hand, walk together, cry together, support each other, laugh together, work together, overcome life's adversities together, read together, talk to each other, be kind to each other... everything the really makes up the everyday moments that eventually equal a life of 40 years together. 

The more I understand about relationships, the more I firmly believe it is about how we use the everyday moments. It is the choice in the everyday moments that will determine where we will be 40 years down the road. Everyday choices of love, kindness, forgiveness, applying the atonement, loving, working, and enjoying life. Then waking up the next morning and doing again... but not out of drudgery, but because of love and happiness. 

That is the biggest legacy I think my parents have left for me to enjoy. I see them loving their life. It is not perfect. There are so many things that are still very difficult. But they smile everyday. They make the choice to enjoy the day, no matter what it looks like. And because of that, they lives are full of happiness. They have a family who loves them. They have grandchildren that ask all the time about going to "Mimi and Papa's". 

I hope that in 40 years my family will love me just as much. I hope that I can do just a small amount with my life that they have done with theirs. I hope that I can, after 40 years of marriage, still look at my husband and smile, love him, kiss him and adore him like they do with each other. 

Yes, their marriage is a miracle. The everyday, simple but so immensely important, choices are what equal their miracle of 40 years together. I hope the world can be filled with more marriages that are miracles as well. 

I love you,

Your Mom