It's Cool to be Catholic!

About an hour and a half into my flight tonight from Norfolk to Atlanta, the captain’s voice came over the speaker telling us we had begun our descent. All this meant to me was that I better turn off my iPhone. My attention then turned to the woman sitting across the aisle from me. She [...]

Saint Gerard…Pray for Us An exhausted mother’s plea Today I went to the OBGYN for a routine pregnancy check-up. This week marks my 36th  weeks of being “with child”.  You should know that I also have two other daughters, Henley and Mary Addington. Ages 3 and 4, these girls give me a run for my [...]

Red, White, and Yoo-Hoo… As the July 4th holiday approaches, I find myself reflecting on what “Independence Day” really means to me. As a history teacher, I’m more than familiar with the day’s origins. July 4, 1776 essentially marks the beginning of independence and freedom for the people of the new United States. This celebration [...]

Danny & Annie-”For Better or Worse”

Danny and Annie-For Better or Worse!

Prior to reading, I recommend you take a moment to watch the touching clip using the link below….trust me, it’s well worth 6 minutes of your time!

http://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=3235

 

This StoryCorps video tells of one of the greatest love story ever. Funny, touching, and incisive, Danny and Annie are unusually thoughtful and candid in expressing their affection — from their very first date to the time of Danny’s death.

 

I found this clip…really the entire story, to be incredibly inspiring! My husband, Bobby, and I will be celebrating our sixth wedding anniversary this September.  Six years and two kids (plus one more on the way) later, I feel that I’ve finally come to understand the gravity of the vows I made to my husband on our wedding day.  Sure, I thought I fully understood the serious commitment I was making at the time that I was making it six years ago. Today, however, I can see that it takes time and many shared real life experiences for one to truly realize what “for better or worse” literally translates to.

 

Let’s face it…on their wedding day, most couples have shared many  “ups” of life and very few of the “downs”. As they dress up, parade down the aisle, and profess their love for each other in front of all of their family and friends, very little has occurred to test their relationship. Most likely, the couple has kept their finances separate up until that point, so money has not caused too much contention yet.  Most men and women are at what I like to call the “beautiful phase” of their life when they get married. Basically, receding hairlines and stretch marks haven’t yet entered the picture, so physical attraction is at it strongest. There are no babies around to torture the couple with sleepless nights and most couples still prefer to spend their free time with each other so “guys night out” hasn’t yet become a debate.  They way I see it, everything is pretty much “unicorns and rainbows” on the day when two people first commit to spend their lives together.

 

If I’ve learned anything over the last six years, it’s that marriage is definitely not always rainbows and unicorns.  Sometimes it actually seems more like mosquito bites and stomach flues!  Don’t get me wrong, I love my husband very much and God has blessed us with a wonderful life that is definitely not worthy of complaint! Still…”for better or worse” takes on a whole new meaning once you’ve truly been exposed to more of the “worse”. Perhaps that is why the divorce rate is so high today. Couples have trouble not letting the “worse” get the better of them.  

 

Obviously, this is a definite danger that all married couples face, so I find myself desperately seeking ways in which Bobby and I can avoid this same fate! Unfortunately, I’m currently nine months pregnant…and I’ve discovered that pregnancy is a condition that makes it extremely difficult to see the “rainbows or unicorns” in any relationship situation. As much as I try to recall the strength of the love that I felt when I first said those vows, lately it just isn’t happening naturally. One thing I have found somewhat helpful though is to reference one of my favorite Scripture readings from our wedding day whenever I’m feeling exceptionally ornery! (1 Cor. 13:4-7)

 

Love is patient.

Love is kind.

It does not envy.

It does not boast.

It is not proud.

It does not dishonor others.

It is not self-seeking.

It is not easily angered.

It keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 

Usually, reading this helps me to realize that, while I would like to consider myself the selfless victim, I have probably not been showing true love to my husband. Actually, the Scripture verse makes me doubt that I’ve loved at all as of late.  I am then able to avoid the temptation to assign blame. Guilt replaces the anger that I was previously feeling as I find myself entering into an honest period of self-reflection.  Later, after quietly admitting recent faults of my own to my reflective self, I usually have an easier time noticing the occasional rainbow or unicorn as it passes by. 

Proclaim Your Thanks This Holiday Season By Whitney Nagel Ingram   My first year as a Middle School Social Studies teacher was both shocking and enlightening. I began my new position certain that I had what it took to successfully teach simple content domains like geography, economics, civics, and history. A college education and a [...]

Someone once advised me, “When buying a used car, punch the buttons on the radio.  If all the stations are set to trending teen hits, there’s a good chance the transmission is shot.” Only now am I starting to truly appreciate this warning. My little sister (the Blonde Blinger) first starting talking about driving when [...]