Today it is my wedding anniversary. I have been married to my lovely wife for 13 years. Aside from the usual jokes and retorts about ‘now it’s officially longer than manslaughter/life imprisonment’ etc., it has felt like a lifetime and it has also gone in a blink.
Just to share with you a little history.
I met my wife in my local pub after coming back from a party in Milton Keynes. Back then; a lot of things were different. I had hair for one thing and a rather unfortunate ego!
At my local, they had live music every Saturday. So amidst the noise and cacophony of the band and the punters, I sidled up to the bar, ordered my drink and as the bar maid brought change to the lady next to me, she managed to drop it into her drink. I turned, made eye contact and said ‘I bet you couldn’t do that again if you tried’. I received a big beaming smile from a rather attractive face. I was the younger Corleone in the Godfather, the thunderbolt had struck me. In my minds eye, there was only here, no sound except the rushing of blood in my ears. We dragged our gazes away and found our respective friends in the pub, continuing to eye each other up from each side of the pub.
I knew this girl was special, wasn’t sure exactly why and so after a bit of bravado and some showing off, which was shortly followed by me being put right in my place, I knew I had met my match if not more.
I long night of talking in a car park - really just talking. No mean feat at -2º and after inviting her to come and watch my band (it wasn’t my band but it made me sound cool) on Wednesday we parted with me on cloud 9!
It wasn’t until she had gone did I realise that I hadn’t got her full name, or her number or anything. I really did have to take it on trust that she would come back. Come back she did, just in time to see the set. Afterwards, I proceeded to parade her round the pub as my girlfriend. She found this amusing
The rest, as they say, is history. But I always remember what a set of circumstances lead both of us to be in that pub that night. The party I went to really wasn’t my thing, a friend was driving passed the station so I could get a train home at a decent time and walk to my pub. Wifey’s cousin had heard that a VeeDub club met at set pub and decided to come over this way for once. So many coincidences, so many things could have changed on that night but if I hadn't of walked in and upto that bar at that exact point, would we have met?
13 years has flown in many respects. We have 3 beautiful children – the eldest of which starts secondary school in September. We have a fantastic home, have made some great friends over the time and our marriage seems to get stronger. There are downs as well as ups, but nothing that can’t be overcome. It has been hard work, but for a long time now (about 13 years or so) I have lived by the maxim that if it is worthwhile, it is worth working hard for. My marriage is definitely something that continues to reward and bless me.
So for those of you that are thinking about marriage, or are getting married, take a time to look at where you came from, and be prepared for hard work, compromise and above all else loving unconditionally. Remember your vows as they are your promises to each other and never break them.
It is only when you look from whence you came do you realise just how far you have travelled.
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