Don't Sweat The Small Stuff

1. It's okay if he leaves his dirty clothes in the bedroom floor instead of walking an extra 1-2 feet to the bathroom (which is connected to the bedroom) where the clothes should be...pick them up and be done with it...some would argue me on this but trust me...just do it.

2. It's okay if the yard work is rarely done because he's not an outside kind of guy...do it yourself and get that tan you've been wanting!!

3. So what if he likes to read books in the bathroom...for as much time he spends in there he's got to be doing something right!

4. Sure it makes sense putting an empty ice tray back into the freezer...maybe just maybe he's trying to conserve water b/c there's always atleast a drop of water or two left in the ice tray! Yep, I know...that was a stretch...

5. So what if he dislocates his knee and tears ligaments in his knee because he was trying to do the dance to "I'm A Little Tea Pot"...the kids love him right?! And it makes for a great story...we will look back on that for years and roll!!

6. And so what if he wants to debate everything you try to bring up that is related to the Bible...that's YOUR fault for trying to debate a preacher!!

You can't sweat the small stuff. We all have those days where you can't seem to get along or someone is in a bad mood right? Well it's in those moments that we have to take a step back and realize that if saying something about it will not help then maybe it's best to just keep the mouth shut. Sure...it's going to take some pride swallowing to be quiet. But having a marriage that is more than just existing is much more important than just simply being married. I am more than married to James...I am in love with James. So it's important to me that he knows that daily. It's what you put in your marriage on a daily basis. Not just once a year when your anniversary comes around or on a birthday but it's daily. I like to send James text messages sometimes just to let him know I'm thinking of him. He does the same thing for me. So for everything I listed above there are 10,000 things that he does right for each one. We can't go day in and day out holding on to what should have been done differently or what was never done in the first place, etc...We have got to be a generation that takes marriage to a whole other level.

I strongly desire for Madison to look at our marriage and have that as a model for when she decides she is ready to marry. I want her understanding what a marriage is really about and that married people can be happy. Marriage is always the butt of all jokes right? Well mine most definetly is not...not in a serious light anyway. There are plenty other jokes that have occured since we have been married that I could go all night on! But that's what I love. I love that silly things happen sometimes and it's enough to make us laugh. I like that we have been married for almost 8 years this July and we are continuously growing more in love with each other. It's the marriage I dreamed of. Naturally not everything that has happened along the way is what I would have dreamed of happening but the big picture is just that. It's what God has blessed me with and shown me that all of my efforts are not in vain. I see my marriage and I know that God is listening to my prayers. Being married is a privilege and but it does come with expectations and job responsibilities per say. It takes work. Marriage is more than just a feeling...it's a commitment.