Recipe for "A Happy Marriage"

I was looking in my recipe box yesterday (something I never do) and it was a mess because Levi had spilled all the recipe cards out at some point and we just put them back quickly and randomly. As I'm looking though the cards I ran across this magazine clipping. I don't know who wrote it but I love it just the same! It says...

Recipe for "A Happy Marriage" 

Take two happy people and separate them
from their parents. Add the following
ingredients in generous proportions:  

Love 
Acceptance 
Communication 
Patience 
Kindness 
Gentleness 
Self-Control 
Commitment 
Faith 
Hope 
Truth

Mix together, then thoroughly sift in daily life. 
Strain out jealousy, arrogance, selfishness, 
provocation and accounting of wrongs. 
Bake in the trials and tribulations of life for 50 years, 
then celebrate when golden.  

Author Unknown

So sweet right?! It makes me think back to those first moments after you say "I do". When it feels like life couldn't be any more perfect or that you couldn't love someone anymore than you do at that very moment. This picture was taken right after we walked down the isle as husband and wife. It's one of my favorites. We didn't know what was going to happen a year from them moment or five years from this moment. More than anything we were probably relieved that the wedding ceremony was over. And we were very HAPPY!!

I think the only thing the recipe above was missing is God. We aren't the perfect couple and fail daily. These days we struggle to do devotions together, something that came easy prior to having Levi. And we've never fallen into the routine of praying with each other daily. But I truly feel that without God at the center of your marriage you may find yourself in some stormy seas. Even having God in your marriage  doesn't mean that things are always smooth sailing. You will still have your ups and downs, your good days and bad days.

People cautioned us several times after we lost Abby to make sure we didn't let the loss of our baby destroy our marriage. Levi's Doctor stopped one night while Abby was still living and prayed with us and specifically for our marriage and I'm sure others were as well! I'm sure this type of loss effects everyone differently. For us I feel like it made us cling to each other more than we ever have before and we were able to be strong for our other half when they were struggling to hold it together. I just had a flash back to a special comment that was posted on Mike's Facebook wall the day of Abby's memorial service. A friend of Mike's said the following:

"What can seem to be one of the hardest days you and Melissa will ever face, I wanted to maybe share some things I observed today. Though a hard day, it was a beautiful day. Beautiful in such a way that from an outsider I saw how much love Abby had in her short time, I saw how much love and support you have from both sides of your family, (which sometimes can not be taken lightly). But most of all in a time like this I saw something very important. I saw the love and support between you and Melissa. Often we forget the ones we need to lean on the most. Both of you were very strong today, continue to lean on one another. What you guys have is "beautiful" "

I pray that we always have something that others can look at and view as beautiful. Because I would never want our marriage to be anything other than that. God has brought us together as husband and wife in a marriage that I hope we always cherish and never take for granted! <3