I write this on the occasion of my husband, Scott, and my 20th Anniversary. In the first year, he wrote the most amazing prose of my internal and external grace and beauty, and how lucky he was that our paths crossed so perfectly that he had the honor of gaining my eternal love. He called it, “The Beginning.”
Twenty years later, we are still a singular entity. The vows we made to remain faithful through better and worse, sickness and health, poverty and wealth have been tested and tried, and it has only made us stronger.
The love of marriage changes over the years, ‘tis true, but becomes more solid, more comfortable, more stable, and more enduring. We’ve had the happiness of joyful surprises and he heartache of terrible misfortune, and yet, we are one.
In one particular class in seminary, before we were married, my professor had us repeat every second line of Psalm 136, which I explained to Scott afterward how it was ringing in my head:
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, *for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods, *for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords, *for his steadfast love endures forever…
Give thanks to the God of heaven, *for his steadfast love endures forever.
That line became a sort of trademark for us, and inside my wedding band reads: Steadfast Love.
Which is what marriage is, a steadfast love. No detriment can weaken it. No ecstasy can overpower it. The covenant we made on March 23rd, 1996 is steadfast. And for his steadfast love, I am eternally grateful and blessed. I love you.