Making it to 15 years of marriage.

Gabby and Laird

Making it to 15 years of marriage.

As I sit on our Anniversary Day (November 30th) and ponder why Laird and I have had the good fortune to be together a total of 17 years, I realize it’s like climbing a tall mountain.  You don’t look up at the top and think how long a trek it is (even though it is).  You commit to taking the journey and then start out putting one foot in front of the other.  Sometimes the terrain is smooth and other times it can be a mother.

We have had mostly good times, and have certainly weathered a few tough one’s.  What did a wise person tell me once about a relationship; “short memory and a lot of forgiveness”.  Forgiveness or just the ability to move on and get over it.
We all have our own unique ways of making it work, and I think that’s important.  No one can tell another what they should or shouldn’t do in their relationship.  I do believe the importance of a good foundation is critical in any strong structure (love, respect, honesty, passion, kindness, unselfishness, a sense of humor, spiritual harmony and some others).  How a couple choose to get there is their own adventure.

I have also learned that I can not and will not tell Laird what to do.  I will choose to be the partner I want to be and I can only hope that he is making choices for the good on his side.  Thus far that seems to have been working.  It’s almost like we can inspire the other to be better by our own example.

I love having a family and being married, and at the same time I look at it from the outside and wonder if it’s natural?  That’s where the humor and hobbies come into play.

I would like to thank Laird for being my friend and partner all these years, and I will continue to work for it each and every day.  We never actually arrive at the peak, but we just keep evolving and working to get there.  I don’t want the death of complacency to get me or us.

Best, Gabby