Royal Wedding/Loyal Marriage

I knew the "big" wedding was coming but I was only mildly interested. I remembered watching Charles and Diana's wedding with my mom when I was in high school, but like everyone else was disappointed with the demise of their relationship. The new wedding became a hot topic at school with TiVo parties, early morning viewing and a request for us to wear tiaras to Goodie Day. So as I got ready that morning I tuned in - I was hooked immediately! The pomp, the circumstances, it was beautiful!! Then when I got to school, we streamed it on the computer before the kids arrived - one of our only male teachers walked by and asked if it was the NFL draft - silly man!!

By the time I got home from school, I was checking any TV station that was replaying the big event as well as watching Kate and Will's background stories.

Who doesn't love a good love story.... get ready for another....

It's my anniversary - 24 years! And as beautiful as my wedding was, anyone who has been married longer than 10 minutes will tell you it's not about the wedding but about the marriage. My dear friend Laureen is planning her wedding - but more importantly she keeps telling me, she is planning her marriage - smart girl! You can hire a wedding planner for the special day, but you and your spouse need to do the hard work of living out those marriage vows.

One thing that Kate and I had in common (besides all the obvious things) is that we had the same passage from 1 Corinthians 13 read at our weddings. Those words have been the backbone of our marriage. Read along with me.

Love is patient - I chose Cam for who he is, not for who I can turn him into.

Love is kind - I need to treat Cam better than I treat a friend, a  child or myself

Love is not jealous - Cam needs time to do his own things and I need to give him that freedom and you know what, he is much more interesting when we come back together

Love does not brag - It's not a competition between us - try to be the first to give the compliment, not expecting anything in return

Love is not arrogant - I chose him, he chose me and respect for each other speaks volumes!

Love does not act unbecomingly - we try never to fight in public - if something is wrong, we save it for when we are alone

Love does not seek its own - we are partners, not a solo act. I owe it to Cam to include him in any decision, opportunity, adventure

Love is not provoked - there is a little bit of truth in every jest. I need to build Cam up whenever I have the chance, not make him the butt of my jokes

Love does not take into account a wrong suffered - I must forgive and try my best to forget. If I keep a scorecard in my back pocket I will never fully love Cam

Love rejoices in the truth - Speaking the hard things to each other in love can be a blessing

Love bears all things - life is not always easy, but if we know we are there to uphold each other, it makes the hard times easier

Love believes all things - having the same faith has been the biggest strength of our marriage

Love hopes all things - letting each other talk, dream, plan without judgement builds each other up

Love endures all things - we make mistakes, we are rude, we yell,we disagree, we get mad, but at the end of the day, we come back together and remember why we got married in the first place

Love never fails - weddings fail, but marriages built on selfless love will hold strong and the best example of a selfless love is God's example to the world

Thanks for rejoicing with me today - I may not have had a Royal Wedding, but with God's grace, I am enjoying a Loyal Marriage.

p.s. and if you haven't found that special someone - remember - it is better to be single, than wish you were :)