Wednesday, March 29, 2006

AND THEY SAID IT WOULDN'T LAST!

Fourteen years ago today I married the lovely Myfanwe in a brief but beautiful ceremony at Emmanuel Congregation here in Chicago.

I have never seen a more beautiful bride. I can close my eyes and see the smile she smiled and the hear the laugh she laughed.

Right after we were married we paid a visit on my brother Dennis and his wife, Laurie, who had a newborn baby boy. It seemed to us then that D & L had been married for a very long time -- 14 years! Myfanwe asked Laurie if she had any advise for a lasting marriage. Laurie thougth about it for a second and gave us a very valuable piece of advise.

"I wish someone had told me this when we got married. No matter how much you love that man, there are going to be days when you wake up and look at him sleeping there next to you and think 'My G-d, I hate him!" Some times those days will stretch into weeks, but they always, always pass."

Like every married couple, we have our good days and our bad days, but I have never doubted that she is the only woman in the world for me. And the things I loved about her then -- her commitment to the poor and disenfranchised, her love of Judaism and living Jewishly, her ability to laugh at herself and with others -- she's still got in spades.

Thank you, Myfanwe dear, for your continuing faith that bad days will pass and that we will live to laugh again. I am the luckiest man in the world.

11 comments:

Sarah said...

That was a wise piece of advice from Laurie and very true!

Congratulations on 14 years!

Jason said...

Happy 14th Anniversary!
Thanks for sharing your story. I know those bad days. :-) A perfect match doesn't guarantee perfect time all the time.

Anonymous said...

Happy Anniversary.

Anonymous said...

That's lovely. Happy Anniversary!

Sweazey said...

Happy Anniversary, you are both very blessed indeed! Wish I could have experienced this in my life, but after four failed marriages...perhaps I should live long enough...
May God grant you both the sunshine of His/Her love on your marriage forever more. Amen.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations! We are five up on you, waiting for next year's 20th. SIL, Laurie speaks the truth :-)

May you have many more wonderful years ahead, and have a fabulous evening.

Anonymous said...

congrats!

we are 7 months behind you, coming up on #14 in october.

and yes, laurie's advice was 'right on'. I am in that place myself right now, sticking it out. not an easy place to be...must have something to do with the 'change of life' and one's taking stock of the rest of one's life.

anyway, you are a blessing to your wife and son.

anne marie in philly

Carol & Christine said...

Happy Anniversary! Im in love with your marriage. What a beautiful story you will both have, to share with other newlyweds down the road.

Franklin said...

And many happy returns of the day :-)

the fiddlin' fool said...

A late congratulations!

Sneaksleep said...

Another belated congrats from me!