Dennis and I just celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary the other day (February 5). I realized two things: For a couple of years now, we haven’t been giving each other “anniversary” gifts; and we always have to include eating at a buffet in our date or else it wouldn’t be complete.
This time around, we went to Clark to celebrate our anniversary together with another couple-friend who also happen to have the same anniversary. We also brought the kids with us to celebrate Mika’s birthday. Of course, as one would think, this cannot be it. How could you possibly celebrate an anniversary with kids around??…and with no buffet?? ….well, we’re not done yet. We would be staying overnight somewhere, just the two of us, next week…and I shall eat all the salmon I want the next day.
I asked Dennis if he noticed the same thing, by the way….the no-anniversary gift part, and he said he did, too. As we talked about it, we both realized how content we are with just spending time with each other. Really. If he were to ask me what I wanted to receive for our anniversary, I would honestly just say…. “take me to a buffet.” And if I were to ask him what he wanted as a gift for our anniversary, he wouldn’t have anything in mind (except, of course, what all husbands have in mind—but that’s a given).
And so I conclude, I am actually giving Dennis a gift — a gift that perhaps most men would want from their wives…the gift of not having to worry about giving gifts, and the gift of not having to think about how much his wife will be spending. In short, peace of mind.
What a rare gift these days!
Seriously though, I am very, very grateful for the five wonderful years we’ve had together. I know I can say that I love Dennis more now than how I did five years ago, and with God’s grace, I know I would learn to love him more and more each day in the years to come. I know we have yet to learn many things. I am just glad that I need not be anxious about anything, knowing that for one, it is God who is the center of our marriage, and it is He who will direct our paths; And second, that I will be going through this life-long learning process with my husband. I am so blessed to have a husband who I can trust, whose wisdom is way beyond his experience, who loves God more than he loves me, who is committed to loving me and taking care of his family, whose hard work is always fruitful, who balances me more than he knows.
In the five years we’ve had together, I think we’ve learned more than the typical five-year couple. For one, God uses other couples who have gone ahead of us to mentor us and teach us. This has spared us from a lot of unnecessary fights and arguments, and has given us a lot of great ideas on how we should treat each other. Also, we have counseled so many couples (SO.MANY. especially since we started the Greenhills church)— younger and older than us— that constantly remind us what to prioritize in our marriage, and of course what to avoid. We also come out of every counseling session thanking each other and thanking God for being in control of us and our union.
Again I say, I am very, very grateful for the five wonderful years we’ve had together, and I am really looking forward to the years ahead. Many told me before that I should have waited and not get married at such a young age, but honestly, I am glad I was given this privilege of starting such an amazing life with my husband early on….and so I also get the chance to build more great memories with my family.
Ga, thank you for kidnapping me and making me quit med school. Thank you for making me realize dreams for my life that I didn’t know I had. More importantly, thank you for making those dreams a reality (well, some are still dreams, but we’ll get there
). Thank you for being my best friend and life-long partner. I am excited to see what God has in store for us in the coming years!
I love co-laboring with you in serving God and in raising our family. It is pure joy. I love you!
PS: Life-long partner– I really like the sound of that.