Here's to 10 years of marriage and many more!

To my wonderful husband,  

Tomorrow marks our tenth wedding anniversary. Traditional wedding anniversary gifts are tin or aluminum which represents durability and flexibility needed to sustain a loving relationship. Modern wedding anniversary gift is diamonds which represents longevity and love. The daffodil is considered a tenth wedding anniversary gift for it represents rebirth and new beginning. Daffodils are the first blooms to pop up after a long winter. Tin, aluminum, diamond and daffodils are good symbols of our first ten years. Being married for ten years is quite an accomplishment today. We have seen good times and we have seen bad times. We had times when it seemed the bleakest, but we pulled through with our faith in God and in each other.

As I look back over our first five years, I see so much that rocked us to the core, but we stood firm. We miscarried twice in the early years. We suffered our second daughter’s premature birth and death. The grief stemming from these events pulled us closer when we’ve seen other couple being torn apart from their grief. You have been a rock in those early months following her death, making sure I was okay and encouraging me as I worked through my grief. As the densest cloud of grief cleared, we were able to talk about our experience with her death and I learned how deeply you suffered from her loss too. One of the brightest spots in those early years was the birth of our daughter, Abby. A beautiful young lady who is full of life and maturity that at 7 years old is amazing. She is your little girl and buddy. You two are two peas in a pod. I look at her and see you clear as day. She loves collecting her figures and displaying them like Daddy does. She is my fellow bookworm. She loves to read and wants to review books like Mommy does.

The last five years has put our marriage to the test in ways in hadn’t been tested before. Challenges and obstacles that almost broke us. We were able to pull tighter together and rely on God’s guidance and grace to help us when all things seemed hopeless. Three more miscarriages, each one another disappointment but we were determined to keep trying. We went through turbulent financial times that we struggled through, but I feel we are finally in a place that we have learned the lesson of the past and work hard to avoid those mistakes again. You achieved one of your dream when you were promoted, and we were in a better position to buy a reliable car and move into a new home. Another bright spot and surprise of the last five years was the birth of Zoe. She has been a wonderful addition to our family and watching you interact with her truly warms my heart and makes me smile. Another Daddy’s girl in the making, I love the way she smiles and laughs with you. Even your ability to rock her to sleep when she resists falling asleep for me.

Now we look to the future. We have so many changes coming. Many of them are good and couple are scary. But I know that together we can weather any storm. I know that we were brought together by God. Even though we both have a few more gray hairs and extra pounds, I still see the man who nervously sat down on my table and asked me to a movie. I see the man who sweetly asked me to marry him. I see a fiercely loyal man who burns with anger when your loved ones are hurt. I see the man who loves his family so much that he gets up and goes to work when he’d rather sleep in. I see the man who can make me laugh. I love that we can be sarcastic with each other and still flirt after all this time. I love getting up in the morning with you, to hand you your coffee and lunch and kiss you goodbye as you head to work. Together, we are the missing pieces of each other. We know each other well enough to know when something is wrong even when we don’t want to talk about it.  

Tomorrow we are enjoying the day as a family and I can’t think of a better way to spend the day. I love the imagery of the ten-year anniversary gifts. With tin/aluminum, we have the flexibility and durability to weather the challenges that life chooses to put in our path. With diamonds, we have the longevity to push forward. And the daffodil, a beautiful flower that pushes through the cold winter into the spring. Even though we may face cold, harsh winters in the future, I know that we will be able to push to the spring of better days. I look forward to the next ten years and beyond!

I love you, 

Your loving wife