Twenty Amazing Years
A lot can happen in twenty years. A seed can become a tree. A child can become an adult. The world can change in ways no ever dreamed possible. Twenty years can seem like an eternity to a child. To an older adult, twenty years may seem like a moment in time.
For me, twenty years is how long my wife, Sheryl, and I have been married. It seems like the shortest twenty years in history. We met twenty-two years ago in a Calculus class and went on our first official date one month later on the night I graduated from college. I was 27. Two weeks later, while vacationing in Oregon, I thought to myself, "This is where I want to bring Sheryl when I marry her." Where did that come from?
About a year later, I asked her to marry me. I had already bought the ring and got her father's blessing. (No idea what I was going to do if he or she said no.) Fortunately, she said "YES" after making me wait a week. About eight months later, we were married.
The last twenty years seem to have blown by. In that time, we have traveled almost around the world, had a child, bought a house, and changed careers at least twice each. We have had amazing times together and have been through our fair share of struggles. We have had fights and make ups and joys and sorrows. We have stood by each other in hard times. We have rejoiced together in glad moments. Both of us have changed and yet, we have both stayed very much the same as when we first said "I do."
When I look at my wife, I see the same woman I married twenty years ago, only now even more beautiful and infinitely wiser. I only hope she sees me in a similar light. One thing I do know is that we will be together until "death do us part." The reason I know is very simple. Before we married, we both made the vow that divorce was not an option in our marriage. It was never even to be spoken of. Instead, we vowed to work through every situation that could possibly arise, no matter how dire, and make it through together. That is the only option we have given ourselves and we will both stick to it.
Will we have another twenty years? I certainly hope so. But if not, I know that I have been able to spend the last twenty with the most amazing woman on the planet. I wouldn't trade that for the world.
For me, twenty years is how long my wife, Sheryl, and I have been married. It seems like the shortest twenty years in history. We met twenty-two years ago in a Calculus class and went on our first official date one month later on the night I graduated from college. I was 27. Two weeks later, while vacationing in Oregon, I thought to myself, "This is where I want to bring Sheryl when I marry her." Where did that come from?
About a year later, I asked her to marry me. I had already bought the ring and got her father's blessing. (No idea what I was going to do if he or she said no.) Fortunately, she said "YES" after making me wait a week. About eight months later, we were married.
The last twenty years seem to have blown by. In that time, we have traveled almost around the world, had a child, bought a house, and changed careers at least twice each. We have had amazing times together and have been through our fair share of struggles. We have had fights and make ups and joys and sorrows. We have stood by each other in hard times. We have rejoiced together in glad moments. Both of us have changed and yet, we have both stayed very much the same as when we first said "I do."
When I look at my wife, I see the same woman I married twenty years ago, only now even more beautiful and infinitely wiser. I only hope she sees me in a similar light. One thing I do know is that we will be together until "death do us part." The reason I know is very simple. Before we married, we both made the vow that divorce was not an option in our marriage. It was never even to be spoken of. Instead, we vowed to work through every situation that could possibly arise, no matter how dire, and make it through together. That is the only option we have given ourselves and we will both stick to it.
Will we have another twenty years? I certainly hope so. But if not, I know that I have been able to spend the last twenty with the most amazing woman on the planet. I wouldn't trade that for the world.
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