Dear husband,
I was going to write about how much I love you, and how much you make me laugh when I’m feeling sad, and how much love I see from you in the little things you do in our daily life.
I was going to write about how in 5 years we managed to overcome so many issues, stresses, family aditions; I was going to write about how much I appreciate how hard you work and how much you worry about us to provide us with everything we need.
I was going to write about how strong I feel our marriage is going, even though sometimes it doesn’t feel like it, but we know we need to go through the low moments in life to rise up in success,by the guidance of God.
But I won’t write about that. Any of our emblematic celebrations, specially all our Anniversary Days, have never being just you and me, they all have been in family: our 1st wedding Anniversary we spent it with our newborn baby girl, the 2nd one I was pregnant with our 2nd child, our 3rd one, we had 2 little cute toddlers running around us, and our 4th one we had all our 3 kids together and healthy with us, in the middle of heavy lockdowns due to the Pandemic.
This year we are celebrating 5 years together in Marriage, and even though we are free to go out and celebrate, who really has time to go out for dinner to enjoy ourselves while all our little kids are being taking care of but knowing they are missing us?… How can we go anywhere without them with us? They are the living proof of OUR LOVE and the blessing of GOD in our lifes. They are all part of both of us and our love for each other reflects on them, so why not celebrate with them?
I know it is not the world’s vision of “romantiscism” to stay home, get the kids ready to sleep in these freezing weather, be with them while we say their night prayers, and stay with them for that extra bit of time until they fall asleep… Or when our little baby kind of cries with his eyes closed because he just wants that extra final cuddle before he snoozes off…
We are both working together on each corner to bring up our family with God’s blessing.
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!” – Psalm 127:3-5
So today I wish our family a Happy Wedding Anniversary because family love is what God intented when He created us and He blessed our marriage saying, through the Priest: “Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” –Mark 10:9
Love,
Your Wife.
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A note to my readers:
When in the Calendar we see aproaching that special day for you (Birthday, Anniversary, Mother’s Day, Christmas, etc), we unconsciously start to build up in our heart all the things we wish or want it to happen that day.
Social Media doesn’t help: There is a lot of jokes around society that somehow directly puts pressure to celebrate big occassions or milestones, but the presure comes because society wants to “show of” your private life. It seems like there is a competition out there of who’s life is better lived… but ask yourself: what are your standards?
We, as Catholics, don’t live under the earthly standards of rewards and praise.
Jesus said in John 18:35: “My Kingdom is not of this world”, so what do we need to proof to the world? My answer: NOTHING.
If you enjoy going out for a date-night with your husband, there is nothing wrong with that. Enjoy every single moment you have together, specially if your kids are very well taken care of while you are absent. We all need to recharge, reconnect, restart. But the key is doing it because YOU enjoy it, knowing it won’t be a financial sacrifice or emotionally draining. The error comes if the urge to “celebrate” is to prove “something” to the world that it is not even clear what they need you to prove.
Remember that Social Media is a choice. Who you follow is a choice. If someone you follow doesn’t give you peace, if someone you follow feeds that little bit in your heart that makes you crave something you don’t need to have or you can’t have or makes you feel somehow incomplete or alienated from “the rest”… then UNFOLLOW, BLOCK, MUTE… use the tools available.
You need peace. The world, the news, the traffic, the schedule, the tantrums, and a big “etcetera”, is already taking so much of you, and you cannot choose those… but you CAN choose who to follow, who to see, who to hear… and who to READ.
The Bible is great.
At the end of our life, God won’t ask you about the things that the world is demanding of you now. So lets make sure to hear Him say:
“‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’” Matthew 25:21
“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great” Matthew 5:12.
Amen!
God bless you.
Liza, a Maronite Mum
Maronite Mum 