Marriage

You want to be married so bad you can't stand it. You want that nice house. You want those sweet babies. But let me tell you what you don't see. You don't see this. Being up until midnight removing deck boards so your husband can get under the house to fix plumbing issues. After he has already worked 12 hours and you've had a full day of work and kids. And that's a few days after fixing the refrigerator. And still having to fix the oven.

Oh I hear you. That won't be us. We will have someone fix it. Or I'll pick better stuff. Honey, i researched. I picked the best of the best. And guess what. It all dies one day. And you go ahead and hire someone. You do that every time something breaks you won't have a dime.

That wedding you want so bad? Go ahead and have it. Enjoy it. But it is what happens after you drive away that matters. That commitment you made will be tested more than you know. Divorce rates are so high because we get swept up in the fantasy of a wedding. But that wedding is not real life. Want to know what is?

Working your butt off to be able to buy that house. And then working even harder to fix it up. I'm talking long nights and long fights. In reality it is nothing like a HGTV show. And then it's all yours to maintain. To pay for. To fix. But that is not all.

The babies you want? Hours of painful labor are nothing like trying to discipline a two year old. Oh yeah, I see your dream. You and your babies playing on the floor for hours. Want to know what you didn't think of? You getting the stomach virus while your husband is at work for twelve hours. And it's just you, a seven year old and a two year old. Fun, huh?

And what about that marriage? You ready to figure out finances, bills, child rearing together? You ready to no longer make any decision alone? To really be together through sickness and health. What about for richer or poorer?

Things break. Money is short. People fight. Kids aren't always fun. This is the reality of your dream. This is the part that no one thinks about when they want that white dress. But this is real.

You go into this life knowing there are speed bumps ahead you will make it through to the good times. To what you dream about. You will have that nice home, because you worked for it. You will have those sweet babies and will enjoy them, because you have experienced the rough times. You will have a good marriage because you have made it through the bad times together. I'm not saying it's all bad. It's not. But you need to know that it is work. It is hard. But it will be so worth it.

I don't always like this man. He isn't always my favorite. We fight and fuss with the best of them. But we work together like no one else. We busted our tails to get decent jobs. Worked hard to buy our home. Worked and fought even harder to fix it up. Then we worked to have a family. Fought for it actually. And now we work and fight everyday to keep this life we have. It's not always fun. But it is real. And at the end of a bad day, it is still totally worth it. God has blessed us immensely. This is life. Real life. And I'm so thankful for it.