Unconventional

Monday Scott and I celebrated our marriage. Ten years. Naturally, we have been thinking about the time that has passed, the many years (hopefully) yet to come, and how much we mean to one another. I have no doubt, Scott was a perfectly timed gift from my Heavenly Father.

Scott and I met at work. We talked from time to time, but the thing that precipitated our relationship, as in most, was discovering the things we had in common. We had both come out of pretty awful marriages, and our stories were similar. We both enjoyed being alone. We both had some terrible habits we knew needed breaking. We both had very unconventional ways of seeing life, and felt as though we were never quite comfortable doing things the way most people did them (probably due to an unrelenting refusal to listen to anything we were told). As I reflected on my life with Scott, it became obvious, "unconventional" is the overarching theme of our marriage.

 The day we married was a beautiful Spring day, pretty much like the one we're experiencing right now. We took a ride to Elkton, MD, checked in with the Justice of the Peace, said our "I do"s and headed straight to the tattoo parlor. Yeah. That was our wedding day. And it was perfect -- for us. It wasn't that we devalued our union in anyway -- in fact, it was so important, we did it the first available day we had. And tattoos weren't some cheap way of commemorating the day; they it (for he has the greater portion of the image and I have a small portion that completes it) was another way of linking us together.

And, this anniversary was spent planting and doing yard work together, making a midday run for urgent supplies: Wawa coffees and Burger King; and spending our evening on the deck enjoying the day's labors. It's not exactly what we would have liked, but given the circumstances, it was the perfect option for us.

It's that unconventional way of thinking and doing things that makes me certain our marriage was designed by God. I not only have the perfect partner in crime, but a unique way of thinking allows us to circumvent some of the difficulty life throws our way. After all, we have to endure it, but we don't have to succumb to it. A slightly twisted sense of humor makes the trip more fun, and a creative mind makes "impossible" things happen. Scott has been a living, breathing manifestation of God's love for me, His comfort and His encouragement. Scott is a conduit for the Spirit's boldness to do the difficult and atypical, and he has shown me that God designed me perfectly for the tasks He needs me to do -- no matter what others deem "normal". And God has used my husband to teach me how to accept help, how to be vulnerable and malleable, when the world is telling me "weak" women are less than.

So, regardless what the next ten years bring, I embrace our idiosyncrasies and offbeat way of using the time we've been given. And I hope you have or will find yourself a best friend interested in helping you become exactly all God has for you to be -- even if it means being a little unconventional.