252 Reasons to Celebrate This September 15
Kristen and I celebrate 21 years of marriage today. We said “I Do” on September 15, 2001, and today we turn 21. A friend joked that our marriage is now old enough to drink, as we just reached the legal drinking age.
These last 12 months have been a little more eventful than usual as we sent two boys off to college. But for the most part, it’s been a great year. We’ll go out for dinner tonight and enjoy a date night together. We enjoy celebrating our anniversary—last year it was in Hawaii; this year will be dinner in Waco. Pretty much the same thing, right?
But my friends Cliff and Gigi don’t just celebrate their anniversary one time, every year on their anniversary date. Instead of celebrating just one time per year, they celebrate every month. For example, if they got married on September 15th, they celebrate the 15th of every month—January 15th, February 15th, and on. Their rationale is that it takes hard work to thrive in your marriage and it’s worth celebrating monthly, not just one time per year! To that end, they recently celebrated their 500th month of marriage.
Today Kristen and I don’t just celebrate 21 years. Rather, we celebrate 252 months of marriage. That’s a lot of months, weeks, days, and moments together. We have so much to celebrate and even more to thank the Lord for.
Love is the Tuesdays
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how we got to 252 months. Our relationship is pretty simple. We both work, raise boys, engage with friends, worship and serve together at church, and do a lot of boring, mundane things together every day. We make meals, wash dishes, mow the grass, pick up dog poo, drive kids to school, and run errands.
One of the songs I’ve most listened to the last six months is the song Tuesdays, by Jake Scott. I love the lyrics of the chorus.
It's not just picture perfect dancing in a white dress
It's not just rainy days when nothing stops the fighting
It's not just highs and lows, and champagne toast
I've come to know that love's not only the best days
Or the worst days
Love is the Tuesdays
Yeah, love is the Tuesdays
Four days after September 11, 2001, we needed and got picture perfect dancing in a white dress. There were champagne toasts and some fights along the way. But most of the time, love is the Tuesdays, the mundane daily moments of life together as husband and wife.
We’re in a season of learning. Obviously we’re not the first couple to send kids to college, but sometimes it feels like it. We know it’s right and good that they’ve left the nest, but it’s still hard. I’m usually the emotional one, but I’ve seen Kristen take it harder than I have that the twins are away at school. We continue to learn more about life and about each other.
I’ve noticed how boring I am at times. I work and read and hang with my family. All great things. But I don’t have much fun. We’re learning how to have fun again in marriage: concerts, comedy shows, traveling, watching shows we love together, laughing on repeat at The Office, cooking together! We’re looking for ways to continue to enjoy each other. We continue to learn more about each other.
We agree with Jake Scott—love really is about the Tuesdays.
Here’s to another 252 months, with 1,764 more Tuesdays. Happy Anniversary, Kristen. Thanks for being my second love. I love you more.
I always end my anniversary posts with the same request—would you please pray for me and Kristen? We value your prayers and hope the Lord gives us many more years of ministry together as husband and wife.