Our 6th Anniversary — it’s so curious, because it doesn’t seem like it’s been only 6 years.  So much life has happened in those 6 years.  Like what feels like a million house projects in the fixer-upper, that thankfully has grown to truly be a home.  3.5 years of Foster to Adoption stress, that makes it seem simultaneously like it was yesterday and “has always been”, all at the same time.  Job changes, new adventures, you name it.  It’s been an amazing 6 years.  

I think part of it helps, we dated for awhile long-distance, then in the same place.  Yet we knew each other from college.  In fact, I think if I am thinking right, we became friends in August of 2006 — which means we’ve known each other nearly 15 years.  It’s actually hard to imagine when I think back, I love that.

This is the best part, and it comes to mind more and more often as time goes on.  We love each other more every year, every month, every week — through all the hard things we’ve walked through, fear, uncertainty, changes, death, scary surgery, you name it — it’s made us more united.  It’s helped us trust God’s goodness & faithfulness more.  It’s grown us into more patient (mostly working on me) and gracious people.  But I just can’t get over that we haven’t ever had moments where we regretted this adventure.  We get excited thinking about fun dreams for the future with each other, and with our beautiful children.  But in all that stuff, we love each other more — more fully, more sacrificially, with more understanding and more sincere.

There is a great song by a great band, Caedmon’s Call (who sadly isn’t making new music) — song is called “Love Grows Love”.  I can’t listen to it without some new connection to it each time.  You should go listen to the song, but there are a few stand out lines that I just love.  I copied a chunk of the song and bolded the parts that are favorites:

Link: https://youtu.be/jk0fxvvvkw0

Caedmon’s Call — “Love Grows Love”

“I fell in love with you, and the love became something new
It keeps getting stronger than we ever could have longed
Love keeps growing more love

When we got the news we had to call our families
And start painting the room a nice bright blue
Our vows, they started breathing and they took on flesh and blood
And we held them in our arms and tasted that God was good

I fell in love with you, and the love became something new
Added a name and we added a smile, keeps getting bigger ever further mile
There on your bended knee, we sowed the seeds of our history
Coming up stronger than we ever could have longed
Love keeps growing more love

If love is an echo of the heart, the heart is a canyon
It stretches wild and free without an end
It breaks through every wall that holds us in”

I think those bold parts are favorites because I “get” them more each day — they are more true, more rich in depth and meaning.  I mean wow!  Our vows they started meaning something deeper and richer with every new adventure, new wave, new turbulence, you name it.  Especially with the kids!  Everyone’s kids are a blessing and a test, but the tumultuous way our kids came to be home, our vows were pushed & stretched!  But even through it all — it was a constant reminder that God was/is good.  Big time amazing.

And I love “there on your bended knee, we sowed the seeds of our history”.  There is something so awesome, so big, so good about that.  It’s bigger than just our dating, engagement, and wedding.  There is this huge beautiful story unfolding, and our simple anniversary, that comes around each year — it’s a pillar (so to speak) that reminds me that the seed planted then has grown, and will keep growing.  Even in the moments of exhaustion and kids wearing me thin, there is a bigger picture I have to see, I have to reflect on.  

But this year, there is much to be thankful for on this 6th Anniversary.  Clara’s first Mother’s Day, My first Father’s Day (today on our Anniversary), SINCE the kids have officially been little Maloy’s.  That’s a BIG joy.  Shoot, the kids were adopted on my 35th Birthday too!  There are so many great moments this year and that annual “pillar” of our Anniversary give me cause to look back and “taste that God is good”.  And thank God for that!

Happy Anniversary, Clara!