Hey everybody!
I hear a lot that the first year of a marriage is the most difficult. Not to be braggy, but year one was a cakewalk. Year two, however, was not.
Mere spent most of our 2nd year of marriage pregnant. It was a rough pregnancy, as you might remember. The morning sickness started and never stopped, literally lasting 8 months. That means 8 months of not sleeping, a rough diet, etc. On top of that, Mere had kidney stones, e coli infection, a car wreck, preeclampsia, and an early baby. Oh, and then all the heart problems that didn't go away after she delivered... it was quite a rough year.
But you know what?
This year I believe God used some serious tools to sharpen me and turn me into the man He wants me to be: the man I need to be to lead my wife and daughters. I never knew who strong I was until I needed to be for my wife.
There was a moment that, even as it was happening, I knew was one of the most powerful and important moments of the entire year... Two nights after Cece was born, we weren't able to hold her (but we were able to have her in our hospital room). It was hard to calm her, which contributed even more to Mere's high blood pressure. I was at wits end and about to lose it when I turned to music (a lifelong source of therapy for both Meredith and me) and began playing a song on my phone {I Won't Give Up, by Jason Mraz}. Cece was soothed, and her parents just sat and listened to the words to the song that mean so much to us. It's hard to paint the picture I want to paint for you, but it was very much like a calm inside a storm. I will cherish that moment in time forever.
It would be silly to offer advice (only being married 2 years), but when I reference the song above, there are some apparent and obvious thoughts for making a marriage work. Just don't give up. Simple. And hard. There will be times when the skies get rough, but don't ever make giving up an option. Make work the only option.
There. Advice... whether you wanted it or not. ;)
Images of our wedding are here.
Talk to you soon,
Dale
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