A Few Firsts

The Story: 

My magnificent husband and I have been married for a year.  What an outstanding, blissful, unimaginably wonderful year!  He lifts me and makes me happy in ways I used to dream about as a child, and ways I thought could never really happen as an adult.  We share a companionship and oneness that the words "husband" and "love" cannot adequately express and I find myself thanking God every day for the unexpected treasure of this marriage. 

And so our first year of marriage has come and gone with a few other firsts.

Moving into a place I could truly decorate/home-ify/make my (our) own was a fun first.  We really love our little home and though it seemed overwhelming at first to unpack (not for the first time that year!) and hang pictures and arange everything so I could find it, it seems to have come together little-by-little with not much effort.  Much as our lives have blended, our styles, and our belongings, and our habits have blended.

First time expecting a child!  How very much I have learned this year about so many things, but not the least of which is pregnancy and all that comes with it!  How can no one have filled me in on all this before?  I love learning about our child and her development and experiencing the ups and downs of growing her without conscious effort but with very concrete results!  How rewarding and blessed this experience has been.  I am in awe of the ways I have grown--in spite of, and because of the challenges the last eight months have brought.  I am in awe of the way Matt has stepped into this new role and the way he loves and cares for me and this child.  The sense of excitement and anticipation filling our lives is simply wonderful.  (But let's be honest, I'm ready to pop this kid out in about the next three days!)

Learning to enjoy cooking and explore more enjoyment of food has been a first experience for me.  Exercising restraint in eating habits is also a new one, but has contributed to the knowledge I've gained this year.  Having a man in the house that cooks is pretty great, too.  I love to eat his cooking and I love to please him with whatever I've cooked or baked.

Another recent first: I broke a necklace for the first time, but instead of just being content with that, I went ahead and broke another one shortly after that!  Sheesh!  The first necklace was a Christmas present from my Matt, and the second one was the chain I used to hold my rings since my fingers are now too fat/swollen to accomodate them.  Good thing I don't believe in omens!



I am also so very thankful for the blessing of the temple in our lives.  Being sealed to Matt for time and all eternity is hands down one of the top best decisions and blessings in my life and I am so awed to know that I have the opportunity to be with him forever.  What inexpressible joy this knowledge brings us!  I couldn't have picked a better companion, a better friend, a better husband, guide, father, provider, or a better man. 



The Recipe: 

I've learned this year that in God's plan, math never seems to make sense.  Science tells us that 1+1=2 and that 50% plus 50% adds up to 100%, but as I have learned through my marriage, 1 person giving 100% +1 person giving 100% CAN =1.  Perhaps it's easier to think of it in the sense that two half persons together can become one single whole (cause I know that Matt makes me a better, stronger, and more capable person than I have ever been).  As far as most people are concerned, each person gives 50% in a marriage and once one of the partners stops giving their share, the marriage is over.  But I figure that the only way to make it work is for each person to give 100% all the time, so that when one hasn't the strength to give, nothing falls apart--each partner helps the other to find strength to keep growing and giving.  Giving fifty percent is only giving half of what the other person is worth. My husband is worth every effort I can give!



The Verdict: 

I have only listed a few blessings here, but they add up to so much more than what I could ever write on paper.  I am so grateful for these and other blessings that fill up my life with joy!

I wish you a wonderful day, in which the weight of your blessings is somehow far greater than the number of blessings.