If you're married, how has the love between you and your husband grown and changed since the day of your wedding? What would you say to a bride on her wedding day?
I once heard about a study that showed how
the brain changes once couples have been together for a certain amount of time.
I cannot recall how long, though I am sure you can find it with Google, but it
showed how different parts of the brain interact with longevity. The chemicals
that were once produced in the butterflies in the stomach phase are no longer
there. Not to say butterflies are no longer apart of the relationship but more
like you are able to be a more sober version of yourself, not seeing the
through rose colored glasses. It is the beginning of the opportunity to choose to love and to stay.
By the time Ricardo and I said I do, we had been
together for four and a half years and had shared our address for three of
them. Those butterflies had long since flown off, our friendship was even more rooted in
love. He has always been my best friend and for that I am ever thankful.
The love that was there on our wedding has
changed and evolved, for the better, something I hardly give a nod to or
thought otherwise before marriage.
Ricardo is more of my best buddy than ever
before, as we share even more inside jokes and children and experiences that
have squished us together in ways only time and circumstance can.
Bride to be,
I am not sure what else to say about
marriage. And honestly, marriage is my favorite and for the most part, it has been
easy for us, not perfect but easier than I have heard of others; not to boast
but in true transparent fashion it has been a gift from God. Ricardo is my go to guy and
I think that is key in marriage and laughing.
As for my advice to new brides, it may be a
little more sweet than you experience but if you push your feet in and open
your heart and set God at the center, love will be cultivated.
I received this top ten list for marriage when I was engaged and it pretty
much covers the basic topics. I slip it in to wedding cards and give it to
newlyweds because it is such great advice. Lloyd had been married for a long
time, so it is surely tried and true and I can attest.
Perhaps you are coming in to marriage with
your address, bed and bank account already shared, as were ours. Our adjustment
period was short and uneventful, I guess you could say. We lived with my sister
and her boyfriend and got along great, besides Ricardo eating their
chips.
But maybe, just maybe you are waiting until after
you are married to merge your belongings and for that I commend you.
Either way, marriage may be more eventful
than anticipated in all the wrong ways, in which case I would instruct you back
to the top ten list and to your knees in prayer, both by yourself and
together.
This later is not my story and I cannot
direct you through experience but I know love is meant to hold fast and
unwavering to the hope we profess. And I want to encourage you it will get
better and easier, I hope. But honestly it could get harder before that happens.
Love anyway. Choose to love.
The more you are around someone the more the
opportunity to love or not. To grow and learn. To experience life together.
So breathe and laugh and smile, even when
things are tough. Love always wins and prayer changes everything.
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This is part of a 365 day blogging series through Savor by Shauna Niequist. If you would like to blog along, whether daily or weekly, I would love to have you for the journey; be sure to link back to the post. And if you are not a blogger, you can join along, too. Just leave your response and answers in the comments.
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