On May 18, 2011, my husband and I celebrated 25 years of wedded bliss.

Okay, maybe it wasn’t all bliss; but 25 years is a pretty significant milestone and I’m awfully proud of having made it!

I’ve learned a lot in 25 years of marriage.

1. I’ve learned that time really does fly.

2. I’ve learned that love isn’t just a feeling but is a commitment—a really, really big commitment; bigger than anyone is willing to let on.

3. I’ve learned that as much as I use words to make my living, it is almost impossible to find the right ones to explain my gratitude and love for my husband.

4. I’ve learned that I’m apparently not as saintly as I once imagined and that forgiveness is a powerful tool in marriage.

5. I’ve learned that marriage is never 50-50 because that is keeping score; marriage is whatever it takes at a particular moment in time and often a willingness of someone to be less stubborn than the other.

6. I’ve learned that being right isn’t all it is cracked up to be when it divides a couple; it is better to be committed to your spouse than to be right.

7. I’ve learned that children will bring a couple to their knees and seem to be God’s way of ensuring a humble and compassionate heart in which He can dwell.

8. I’ve learned that children will grow and will move on and out and that the time invested in a marriage should never be second to children.

9. I’ve learned that a marriage with God at its center can withstand all that will come against it—even when what comes against it is from the inside!

10. I’ve learned that the domestic church that my husband and I have created—and sometimes botched—and dwelled in through all the ups and downs of the past 25 years has truly been a gift from God.

Topics: Faith , Marriage , Relationships