Nine Years Later

To my dear sweet husband,
Today we celebrate nine years of marriage.  Would I do it again if I had known the trials we would face that first year, the loss we would experience, the illness we would face, the stress that would follow?  Would I do it again if I would have known the hurt we would cause each other and the pain that would follow? 
Yes.  Over and over again.  Yes.

Because over nine years this happy, blissful (somewhat naive) couple...

...has turned into this amazing, happy, loving family.

I'm not the same girl I was nine years ago and you're not the same boy.  I no longer think that marriage was made to make me happy.  I know that it was made to bring glory to God and to show the world His love.  I'm so thankful for His mercy and grace that brought us through those hard years into the place we are now.  A place where you lead our family with a godly heart and you long for the world to see what God is doing in us.  A place where I trust your guidance and know that your devotion to our family doesn't waiver.  A place where I'm trying to be a godly wife and mother and no longer think of myself first.  A place where I know that God's plan for our lives is coming true.

Because I know that God created this little girl....

...for this little boy.

So that the world would see His love and His grace and His mercy and His glory through our love for each other.