Happy Anniversary

It's been 18 years since I first met Jerry - our junior year of high school. It's funny how much life has changed for us since then - how much I've changed since then.

When I first met Jerry, I was a skeptic when it came to marriage. I just found it so hard - impossible, quite frankly - to imagine that I could have a meaningful relationship with someone that would last my entire life. But two things happened our senior year in high school. Our friendship deepened. And God began some serious work on my heart issues.

Jerry and I worked at the same little shop at our local mall when we were in high school. We rarely worked the same shift, but as our friendship grew, one of us would make it a point to stop by and say "hi" while the other was working. Our friendship was sweet. And over time, we really began to see how God had His hand in it. There were things that occurred in our friendship that could have no explanation other than God.

While we worked together, I began questioning him about his faith in Christ. His response was always genuine. Never pushy. Always kindly leading me to the bible. I envied his faith, and I was often curious to know more. 

Around this same time, God began to plant this seed in my head (and my heart) that just because my parents were divorced, did not mean that my life was automatically going to end up the same way. I began to believe it. For the first time in my life, I had hope for a marriage that would last. Now please know, that my thoughts about marriage at this time did not involve Jerry (or anyone else, for that matter). It was simply a heart issue that God was mending.

Jerry and I dated briefly for the summer after high school. And if you had told us at that time that we would eventually end up getting married, we would have laughed at you in complete disbelief. After that summer, we stopped dating, but remained distant friends.

For the next four years, God did some major - and I do mean MAJOR - work on my heart. Jerry's, too, I think. And when the time was right, He brought us together again to rekindle our friendship. We spent time getting to know one another, and, looking back, I can see how our faith gained another blossom in the process.

Months before Jerry and I began dating again, I knew that God had created a plan for us to spend our lives together as husband and wife. The seed was planted one night after a phone call Jerry and I had - a phone call where I had told Jerry that his wife was going to be the luckiest girl in the world to be married to him. I didn't know God's timing on the whole thing, but I trusted with all of my heart that our lives would unfold to reveal God's perfect plan.

And so it did. We began dating. Dated for four years. Were engaged for a year. And have now been married for eight years.

I remember when we were engaged, someone said to me, "Amanda, marriage is not always the fairytale that you think it's going to be." My response to her was, "Marriage is what you make it. And I have aspirations for the fairytale. And that is what I am going to work toward."

I was offended by her comment at the time. But the truth is, marriage is not always the fairytale you think it's going to be. Sometimes it's hard. Sometimes you have to put forth a little extra effort in order to close gaps. Sometimes you have to be willing to put your pride aside for the sake of strengthening your marriage. What I'm saying is, marriage is indeed what you make it.

Jerry,


You continue to amaze me. You always have. Through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, I have always known that we are jointly committed to making our marriage better and stronger with each passing day. There is no one - no one - in the world that I would rather enjoy life with than you. 


Beyond the shadow of a doubt, I am the luckiest girl in the world to get to call myself your wife. I knew it then, and I still believe it today. I am blessed, and I thank God for you.


I love you. I do. I love you so much. And I look forward to a lifetime of sharing that love with you.


Amanda