24 Years

24 Years, 24 years as Mrs. Lisa Gifford, that's a glorious thing! I'll be honest when I said I do and imagined 24 years later, this isn't what I imagined. There's no way I could've. Our lives are so much different now than they were then.

The day we said "I Do", in 1991, it snowed. Yes, it snowed. Gotta love Wisconsin weather. Man, we were just kids. I look at my own kids, and yes, I know 2 of them are engaged, yet, I think, you're not old enough to be thinking of getting married. They're just kids. There is so much they don't know yet!

However, I wouldn't change getting married to Jerry at 23 for the world. At the time, I truly felt like he was saving me. Saving me from the mess that I felt my family was, saving me from the financial disasters I'd created, and in essence saving me from myself. He was my safe place. Probably not the healthiest way to step into an life long commitment, but it's what I felt the time. I wasn't wise enough, or mature enough, and no one had taught me that marriage was to be something more than a life preserver.

The first year was exciting and stressful all at the same time. Still kids trying how to figure out how to do all this, then on our first anniversary we brought home our first child. The next year, we adopted our 2nd, the 3rd year we gave birth to our third. Those first years of our marriage is a blur of changing diapers, chasing toddlers, pinching pennies and qualifying trips to the grocery store while my parents watched our daughters for an hour, as a date.

Now 24 years later, all but 2 of our 5 kids are out of the house, 4 of them out of school with our youngest just finishing up his Junior year in high school. Our lives have gone from chasing toddlers, kissing boo-boo's and eating pretend food, to praying that the things we taught our kids along the way will have stuck as they step into adulthood. Trying not to focus on the areas of our parenting where we wish would have known so that we could have done things differently, and trusting that God will fill in the gaps. As for dates, we can date when ever we want to, no sitters, no "need to be home by" time, heck not even planning ahead if we don't want to, we just decide to go and we do, it's a beautiful thing.

In year 24, I no longer feel as though I need him to save me. In the 24 years we've been married, he's encouraged me, he's come along side me, he's given me courage, shares his wisdom, and loves me more deeply that I ever knew was possible.  So yes, I guess he did save me, but in ways I could never have imagined. He saved me by showing me I had worth, by showing me that I could be strong, he saved me by loving me.

In talking with one of our engaged daughters and her fiancee, he told them, "you think you're in love now, and I'm not doubting that you are, but the love you feel for one another now, is minuscule compared to the love you will feel when you've been married as long as we have". Oh so true.  It's like trying to describe what chocolate tastes like to someone whose never ate it. There just aren't words.

One of the biggest, and greatest changes from year 1 to year 24 is that God is the center of our marriage. Not that we weren't both believers when we were first married, however, we just didn't understand that there was more to it than just believing. We didn't understand that whole relationship with God thing. Our marriage might have been good up until we figured out that God needed to be the center of it, but nothing compared to how it is now. It's like comparing a pair of boots from Walmart to a pair of  Frye leather  boots. I thought Walmart boots were good, and cute and yay, they were cheap. Until I got my first pair of Frye boots and oh my goodness, mind blown!! No way would I ever want put a pair of Walmart boots again. (no offense to those that like Walmart boots, just had to speak my language there for a bit LOL).

So, as we start the next 24+ years of our lives together I look forward to all the adventures that await us. I'm already resigned to the fact that it most likely won't look anything like I imagine it will. I cannot presume to know God's plan for our lives, but He's faithful and He's good and I know that no matter what the next chapters of our lives look like that it's what He has in store for us. I'm so grateful each day for the gift of being Mrs. Jerry Gifford II, it's been better than my wildest imagination!