It has been a long time since I heard those words spoken over me and a young lady who, in looking back at the photographs, seemed so young that I can scarce believe that her parents ever let her out of the house, let alone agreed to let me drag her off to my cave! A long time. Twenty years to be exact (come May 13th, that is).
Yes indeed, my dear wife Mary and I have been together in holy matrimony for two decades. While I remember a lot that has happened in the intervening years, I still struggle to understand where all the time has gone. I certainly don’t feel like I have been married for half as many years as I have been alive. Perhaps that is part of the blessing that makes marriage work, that time does seem to have flown by when you look back at it.
We certainly haven’t accomplished all that we may have dreamed would be the case in our first twenty years of being one flesh, but we have accomplished a lot. In two decades we have grown from practically being two kids (I was twenty, Mary twenty-one) playing house to become two adults who are in the process of raising a wonderful soon-to-be-seventeen young woman, who have seen our careers flourish, and have seen us develop relationships with family and friends that worth more than could ever be quantified.
The greatest thing about being together for twenty years in a successful marriage is the realization that in one person you have a lover and a companion who knows you more intimately than anyone else and continues to love you, ‘warts and all’, as the saying goes. You have a friend who understands you and is there for you and helps you experience life to its fullest. You also have someone you can fight with and argue with and disagree with who is willing to work with you to resolve issues to the benefit of both parties because you are both invested in the same thing: a life together.
I am beyond grateful for the blessing that Mary has been in my life. More than twenty years ago when I realized that I wanted to marry her I believed that she was a gift from God…I feel this every bit as strongly today. More so actually, because I can look back and see how she has been a pillar of strength, a shoulder to cry on, a person to laugh with and live passionately with, a mother to our daughter, a voice of reason, an inspiration….I can see all the things she has done to complete me and to make life one helluva fulfilling experience.
I love you dearly, Mary and I truly look forward to the next twenty years and hopefully another twenty beyond that (I’m in no hurry to pass on!). It is my sincerest wish to face the adventure of the 40’s with you and so much more, being the man you need me to be and allowing you to be the woman that you want to be. And I look forward to continuing to work towards those dreams that have not yet been realized with you as my partner. Happy 20th Anniversary!
I am posting this early because my wife and I are off Tuesday morning to our favorite Inn for 4 days and 3 nights of rest and relaxation and ‘us’ time. I look forward to catching up with all of you when I return, until then I hope that each and every one of you has a wonderful week.
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.
Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
~William Shakespeare, Sonnet 116
Congratulations! Beautiful post and very refreshing to hear.
Best wishes for many, many more.
What a nice ode to your wife Carl. And congratulations!
Wish you both a very happy 20th Anniversary. As you say, may yopu have many many more…
Awww congratulations, hope you have a wonderful time away together.
Beautiful post. Congratuations to you and your wife!! That is quite an accomplishment!
This is just, such an incredibly sweet and inspiring post. Happy anniversary – have a wonderful trip. To the next twenty years…
I hope you have a wonderful anniversary!!! Congratulations!!
I was just wondering… since Mary “was” Mary Russell… do I now call you Sherlock???.. just wondered, ya know.
Congratulations! Have a fantastic anniversary!
Awww…happy anniversary, Carl and Mary!
Happy Anniversary! You two obviously belong together. I hope you enjoy your trip.
This was a beautiful post. Happy anniversary!
Happy anniversary, Carl and Mary! What a lovely post. You are both so blessed to have each other.
Thanks for all the nice things you said, Honey. I am so happy to be married to you (my younger husband). I love you dearly.
Oh Mary robbed the craddle! Honestly, I can fully understand why she fell in love with you. That is the sweetest thing a husband ever wrote to his wife. Congratulations to both, may you enjoy many years together.
Happy 20th anniversary! To many more happy years together!
Oh, congratulations on your anniversary! May you enjoy the time away and here’s to many, many more years of happiness to you both still to come!
That is one of the most beautiful tributes that I have ever read. Congratulations to you and to Mary for 20 wonderful, clearly very happy years. May you have many, many more. Happy Anniversary–and happy trip!
Best wishes to the both of you!
Your post brought tears to my eyes, Carl. I celebrated my 10-year anniversary with my wonderful husband last September, and everything you wrote reminded me of the wonderful blessings he and I have found in each other. If everyone had such a good relationship, it would create world peace!
Congratulations Carl.
Fantastic post Carl! you and Mary are one hell of a couple! I hope you enjoy your get away with her as you always seem to do! And come back with some more amazing antiques! Here’s to another 20 years 🙂
Congratulations on your 20th anniversary! I love hearing stories of couples who have stayed together after getting married early. I married my husband at 18 (he was 24) and we’ll be celebrating our 9th anniversary this year. I hope that when our 20th anniversary comes around I’ll still feel as strongly about my partner as you do about Mary.
Congratulations, Carl and Mary! Hope your trip is wonderfully relaxing and loads of fun!
This is a beautiful post. Thanks so much for posting this! Congratulations on your wonderful life together 🙂
Congratulations and Happy Anniversary! Enjoy your trip!
Carl, congratulations on your years together. What a blessing you must be to one another! I love, love, love that poem by Shakespeare. Madeleine L’Engle used it, I think in her work “The Love Letters”, but it was nice to read the other lines I wasn’t familiar with. Happy day to both of you!
Happy 20th Anniversary.
what a beautiful post. you certainly have a grand way with words…wonderful.
20 years certainly does go by rather quickly. I know.
My husband and I just celebrated our 20th this past May 6th.
May is a great month.
Awww happy anniversary! I can’t even begin to imagine how it is to share your life with the person you love for 20 years!! I wish you all the possible happiness. That inn looks amazing:)
This is an inspiration to all of us and also a major hope that the whole soul mate concept is valid. I think that we all wish [at least I think so] that if we have a relationship that it lasts and blooms with age and that f we don’t there will be a person, who will come in our lives and give us hapiness in small frequent doses every single day until we die. 🙂
Happy anniversary and here is to 20 more years.
Happy 20th Anniversary ,Carl and Mary-hope you are having a great time. Dad and I love you both so much and are certainly proud of you. What a wonderful marriage you have ,continue to enjoy your life together and be happy!! Our love!!
Wow – what a beautiful story of love. Happy Anniversary Carl and Mary!! Hope you are having a wonderful time on your get-away. Cheers 😉
Happy Anniversary! I hope you are both thoroughly enjoying your trip!
This entry brought tears to my eyes.
Congrats to you both. xo!
A wonderful, touching post! Happy anniversary to you! 😀
Happy 20th Anniversary, Carl and Mary!!! We are thankful for your friendship!
Happy Anniversary you two!
I’m a little late, but happy anniversary and congratulations.
Awww….what a sweet post, Carl! Congrats to you two. It has been a pleasure to get to know you guys and to watch you together. I can see that God has truly brought about a wonderful work in you two. It’s such a great wonder to see a married couple who are together for 20 years and still like each other – and actually LOVE each other like you guys do. It’s very evident! Happy Anniversary. We look forward to seeing you all this weekend.
(belated) congratulations to you and mary!
wow. it sounds as if you two have really helped to make each other better people – which is beautiful!
I was explaining to a friend the other day the difference between “envy” and “begrudgery.” Envy is when you wish you had what the other person has. Begrudgery is when you wish them not to have what they have, because you don’t have it. So, I envy you big-time. Well done.