12 Years

Today is our anniversary. I can't believe we've been married for 12 years already, though is some ways it feels like we've been together forever! This past year has been a more difficult one at times, actually, much more difficult than any year since the first few. But I think we've been pretty happy together for the last half of it. God has done so much for us and brought so many good changes this year. With having young children around, the romantic aspect of all these types of celebrations sometimes (o.k., let's be honest--usually) gets left by the wayside so I want to use this chance to be sappy and honor my husband in a somewhat public way. So, this next part is a sort of open letter to Aaron:

You are my best friend and though I can function well without you (a testimony to how God has used you to help me grow) I hate it when you're not with me. We are becoming so joined together that we finish each other's thoughts and sentences and your ideas round out my own (and mine yours). Together our faith is stronger, our dreams are bigger, and the possibilities stretch so much farther than they could for either of us individually. I never imagined when God first showed me that you were the one he meant for me all that it would mean. I've doubted his wisdom at times, but now I'm amazed at what he had in mind.

We are getting ready to enter into promises we've been holding onto for a long time. I know there are many many hard times ahead of us, but there are also so many blessings and so much joy ahead and I can't believe I get to live it all with you in the exhilarating presence of God. More than anything, I want to thank you for loving me no matter what and listening to me and not holding the past against me but always letting me grow in grace. I'm so excited to see you coming into all that God has always planned for you. You're becoming the man I saw God wanted you to be when I met you; what was once your potential is fast becoming who you really are. You've been growing steadily in your revelation of grace and I can't wait to hear you preach it! God is going to use you in increasingly powerful ways as he draws you closer and closer to his heart, and you're going to march out into the world a son so sure of your Father's love and confident of his big muscles that fear won't enter your head for a second, and all your boasting will be "my Dad is stronger than your dad". Together we're going in to posses the land God has prepared for us! I think Rob would call that my pentecostal anointing hehe... anyway, I love you and I always will. Thank-you for giving me the joy of spending my life unraveling the mystery of who you are, as we unravel the mystery of who God is together.