MARRIAGE VOWS

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Today is my first wedding anniversary!

Wow, what a year it has been. Before marrying my husband last year, we were together for nine years. So he has seen me struggle through ten years of painful periods. He knew all about my moods, tears, cramps and suffering. We had only been married for five months when my endo took over my life (and therefore our life). This is not at all how we envisioned the beginning of our marriage.

We wrote our marriage vows together & proclaimed these same vows to each other. They included this promise, "I will stand by your side wherever our path leads."

Unfortunately, our path has already led us somewhere difficult & draining. He watched me agonize through our newlywed days. I haven't been able to work in months, so he's taken on all of our financial responsibilities. As the bills pile up, including my exorbitant medical bills, he calmly tells me my only job is to feel better. He helps me fight feelings of guilt & anxiety. He has already waited in the hospital through two surgeries this year. He felt my sadness & disappointment when my surgery was postponed. I just had to look at him to feel his empathy. He called 911 when I was curled up on the living room floor, bawling and vomiting. He drove me to the ER twice. He rubs my aching back. He picks up my prescriptions when I can't drive, makes me tea when I'm nauseous, cooks me delicious meals & makes me laugh when I'm sad.

It is a terrible feeling to not be able to help your spouse when she's in agony. I know he felt helpless, but he always stayed strong. He prayed for me & believed I would get better.

Though it wasn't in our actual vows, it turns out the following was implied:

When your endometriosis symptoms rage, I promise to care for you with patience & love.

Thanks Baby for all of your compassion & support! Happy (very first ever wedding) Anniversary! I am so blessed to be your wife & have you as my husband.

10 comments:

Darrelyn Saloom said...

I am so grateful you married such a wonderful man. Can't wait till you guys come down for a visit. Hope you continue to heal and feel better every day. I love you with all my heart. And I love Kenny and Josh, too. Happy Anniversary!

Jenn said...

Thank you! We love you too & can't wait to see you again.

Alanna Klapp said...

Happy Anniversary, Jenn! This is so beatifully written it brings tears to my eyes!

Jenn said...

Thank you Alanna!

Jeanne said...

Jenn,

Happy anniversary!

I love this:

"I will stand by your side wherever our path leads".

This part is awesome too:

"When your endometriosis symptoms rage, I promise to care for you with patience & love".

Happy anniversary!

Jeanne

Jenn said...

Thank you Jeanne!

Amanda said...

What a beautiful post... HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!

Tim and I are in a similar situation... we marry in October and will have been together for 3 years, 6 months of which I supported him and 18 months of which my endo got increasingly worse until he chose to support me financially. Endo really sucks for not just the sufferer but also the partner who has to stand by feeling helpless... you are very lucky to have someone so understanding to share this difficult journey with xx

Jenn said...

Thank you Amanda!

I am lucky & blessed to have him. I'm happy to hear you have a supportive partner too. :)

I hope you are able to enjoy your wedding planning. It was a fun time for me. We are blessed with wonderful family & friends & we had such a joyous wedding.

KD said...

This is the type of commitment that truly lasts a lifetime! Beautiful! Thanks for sharing and happy first anniversary! :)

Jenn said...

Thank you so much KD!