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family wisdom

What Marriage Has Taught Me

Out on the town for our 35th anniversary

A lot has happened since I said, “I do.” On my wedding anniversary, I pondered what thirty-five years of marriage has taught me.

On December 3, 1988, I took the plunge with a lady I had fallen for nearly two years earlier. We began as college classmates, learned to like each other (despite our very different music and fashion tastes), and fell in love, to the surprise of nearly everyone (including us).

Since that unseasonably warm December day, we’ve had a lot of adventures and misadventures. We’ve experienced career changes and loss. And we found ourselves in ministry. Boy! We didn’t see that coming!

Along the way, we raised two great kids, two cats, and a dog who hated children. Considering my wife was in children’s ministry, we didn’t consider that an asset.

There are time-worn tips on how to have a successful marriage. There are also a few lessons I learned along the way.

Today, I am pondering some of the lessons I learned. Here are four observations that come to mind.

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webcomic

Cartoon: Snowball Ambush

Cartoon of a man about to be ambushed with snowballs

Cartoon of a man looking at a snowball while others are about to hit him. The caption says, “For a moment, Mark was embarrassed. A grown man shouldn’t throw snowballs at neighborhood boys.”

Never underestimate the craftiness of neighborhood kids. Once they see you with a snowball in your hand, all bets are off. You have shown you are willing to tango, and they will make sure they lead! They will make sure any snowball fight you start, will be finished before you can say, “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea!”