There Is Beauty in the Broken
2004 - Janet Jackson started the year off with a bang and a nip slip at the Super Bowl, Facebook was launched by Mark Zuckerberg, Martha Stewart went to prison for securities fraud, Disney’s The Incredibles was released and we all fell in love with Dash, Violet and little Jack-Jack… George W. Bush was elected as President of the United States, meanwhile we all watched the 2004 Olympics across the globe in Athens, Greece, where we watched Michael Phelps in just his second Olympics where he was just in the early years of his amazing Olympic record-breaking, Carly Patterson was there in her eye-popping gymnastics routines, and Kerri Walsh and Misty May in their first Olympics together, made us all fall in love with beach volleyball. The average price of gasoline that year was $1.88/gallon. And last but not least, FRIENDS, aired its final regular season episode…and yet, it’s still a show I watch almost on a daily basis.
To end the 2004 year, Matt and I exchanged vows at The Crescent in Valdosta, GA at 26 & 27 years old (I’m a cougar I suppose;)), and we embarked on the beginning of what we celebrate today as 20 years of marriage. It was fairly simple in comparison to many weddings, Christmas colored and decorated event with some of our closest friends and family. Some of those who are no longer with us. As the years have passed, I’m extra thankful for everyone that came to celebrate with us that day, as I now realize more than ever, what a busy season the week before Christmas truly is.
To say it’s been a fairytale every day would be a lie. I think we would both agree that we have traveled to and wallowed around in the deepest of valleys. Some of those valleys with our children, and some with just us. At some points in our marriage, we may have thought divorce would win, but thankfully it never did. Neither of us are perfect, but we have found that we are perfect for each other. I’m so thankful that our marriage is filled with so many happy memories and that God blessed us with three of the most amazing children - they truly make our family complete. Our story on how we began dating is one only God Himself could have orchestrated, and Effie especially has enjoyed and asked to hear that story so many times. Here’s the link to that story…take a moment to read that today too:)
https://www.faithfamilyandafarm.com/blog/2017/12/18/how-we-met
I’ve traveled down some broken roads leading up to meeting Matt, but behind every wrong turn and twist, it was all really leading to straight to him. And when I found him (again), it was full speed ahead. Meet, date, marry and have a baby in just 18-ish months - that’s what we did. There is part of me that would like to have some of those broken years before our marriage back, so that I could’ve had more time with Matt, but to do that would take away all of those things that made me who I am today. Some dark places I found myself in, they aren’t enviable at all, but it was all God’s plan, and I’m truly thankful with no resentment of the path I found myself traveling at times.
I get to have lunch with the most perfect man for me today. Truly, I don’t know how he’s put up with me for this long, but I am thankful he has. I’m thankful for the good days and even the not-so-good days, and I pray that God allows us both to live to see another 20 years together. One day, we are going to take that trip to Alaska that we’ve talked about for so long!
Kintsugi is a Japanese art that repairs broken pottery with gold, rendering a new piece more exquisite than before the break(s). It literally means to “join with gold”. Because I can be crafty, and because I don’t want to spend money on an already made piece of this wonderful pottery, I just ordered a kit to make our very own piece of Kintsugi. I’ll find a favorite piece of pottery that we already have to break then create and repair it. Then, hopefully I can find a perfect place for it, to remind us what it means. Each repair and gold streak will represent those challenges and then the success of overcoming those challenges - truly more precious than before.
What started as a fairytale has stayed true to script, in that the story has had many climactic stories and events, interspersed with love, humor, anger, sadness, and family. My hope as we continue to live this life, and live our story, is that it ends as every fairytale does….”and they lived happily ever after.”
And here is another post I wrote one year on our anniversary - I really need to do more blogging - blogging may be a little outdated in this day and time, but I love putting words to a story:)
