Looking back and looking forward..

I wanted to take a minute and publicly tell my dear husband how much I love him. It was one year ago today that he was in an ATV accident and fractured a vertebrae in his back. I have been surprised at how many of those scary feelings have been brought back so strongly to my memory today. After returning home from the sand dunes, we didn't realize how serious his injury was and he didn't go to the hospital for 2 days. After seeing the MRI and seeing how close the broken bone was to his spinal cord we immediately knew that the hand of the Lord was carefully guiding his every movement so that he suffered no permanent damage. He was terribly close to being paralyzed and we were blessed to be guided to receive the right care for him. That was a very difficult time for him, for me and for us as a couple. I heard this quote during Stake Conference and it took me back to those many weeks that I cared for him during his recovery.

"Good marriages are created after you get up from your knees at the altar of the temple. Strong marriages emerge out of helping each other obtain your education, struggling financially, dealing with sickness, and coping with the shock produced by the birth of your first child. Life changes and moves ahead in many unanticipated ways. Changing jobs, moving to a different city, raising teenagers, caring for an aged parent, retirement, and similar activities and events are what produce eternal marriages. Overcoming these problems as a team--helping and supporting each other along the way--are what produce a happy marriage. I loved my dear wife when we married 40 years ago this summer, but the love I felt for her then is insignificant to my love for her after these many years of trials and triumphs." --Bruce Chadwick

This past year has certainly been a year of trials and triumphs for us. In an interesting turn of events, my husband then cared for me after I was injured a short time later. While I would never, ever want to repeat the last year, I would never, ever, ever trade the lessons learned and the strength that has come from caring for each other in this deeply loving way. I truly believe that a vital part of creating an eternal marriage is to come out of hard times more in love with each other than before. We've managed to do that so far and I look forward to what is to come in the future. T., you are my hero, my strength, my best friend and the love of my life.

And thank you, Janae, for sending me this great picture. It is now my very favorite!