Grow old with me!

Grow old along with me! 

The best is yet to be.

These famous lines come from the poem Rabbi Ben Ezra by Robert Browning. Today is our 15th wedding anniversary and as I was reflecting on it, these verses came to mind probably because we had dinner last night with a couple who have been married 43 years and a widow who was married 57 years. That put our 15 into perspective! In my work with seniors it has become commonplace to find marriages of multiple decades even longer than I've been alive. Such a wonderful contrast to what we see on the hollywood news where a marriage of longevity is an aberration.

There's something wonderful about building a life with another person who knows all about you and is committed to you. You've shared so many situations that no one else in the world knows about it, seen each other cry, shared in-jokes, the coded look and secret touch.

I believe that marriage is the greatest opportunity to see a reflection of your true self. It can be quite alarming (!), but there is so much comfort in the knowing that you have a safe environment to grown in. Kenny and I read an article Via La Difference which we could relate to so well as we have a built in difference just in nationality - he is American and I am British. You would think that these kindred nations are quite alike but we noticed some cultural things very early on in our dating and we still laugh today over a few incidents.  Here are a few of the things I enjoy about our marriage:

• We can just hang.  There's no awkwardness in silence, yet we can discuss almost anything openly. 
• We laugh alot. Kenny is hilarious in ways that other's don't see. 
• We help each other. I know that if I'm not feeling well Kenny will take up the slack.
• He is so positive. I have rarely seen him get down (and if he does it's very short-lived) even though he has dealt with constant pain for many years, he remains cheerful and upbeat.
• He loves God. 

I so appreciate being married to this man of steel and velvet, and look forward to continuing to grow together in this life and then live our eternity as the Holmes team!