Twenty Years

 

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:  If one falls down, his friend can help him up…  Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”  Ecclesiates 4:9-12

“Whether the weather be good or whether the weather be naught, 

We’ll weather the weather, whatever the weather, whether we like it or not.”

Brian has been quoting this to me since soon after we began dating twenty-two and a half years ago.  And because of the weather we’ve weathered a few things have changed.  We look older and wear out faster.  We’ve celebrated a few anniversaries together and a few from opposite sides of the planet.  We have learned lots from mistakes we’ve made and we are wiser for it.  We’ve lived in a few unique places and see the world with eyes that see a little deeper, a little wider.  We’ve cried a few tears and shared some heart aches, binding us in a friendship more intense, stronger than the day we said our vows.  We’ve laughed, a lot, mostly because Brian can find the funny side of things even when there isn’t one and the shared laughter binds our souls in a familiar belonging, so close I never imagined it when he walked up to that library table twenty four years ago.  We are a family of six instead of two, and along the way we’ve collected a trunk full of memories in our minds that draw us together, even when current circumstances and worries wedge themselves into our lives.  The weather may be fair, and we’ll enjoy the breeze together.  But when the weather batters us, I know today what I only knew in theory twenty years ago – that Brian will be tenacious and dependable and that the One who weaves our lives is creating a cord more tightly woven each year.