"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be." - Shel Silverstein

Friday, February 12, 2010

20 Years

Two decades ago, the first sentence in this little family's story was written.


Twenty years ago tomorrow, February 13, 1990, Jeremy asked me to be his girlfriend. We were only 14 years old and Freshmen in high school. So young, with so much ahead of us that we could not see, could not comprehend. What would have happened if God came down right then and told us what we would be doing in twenty years, the kind of life we would be living?

Let's just say I'm glad we couldn't see into the future; it would have been too much for our 14 year old selves to deal with. But here we are, twenty years later. And I can honestly say that God could not have chosen a better partner for me to weather this storm with. Things have not been easy by any means. We have gone through so much stuff in the last 3 years that has really taken a toll on our relationship. We are forever changed as a couple.

Gone are the carefree days when all we had to worry about was the crappy jobs we had, the crappy apartment we were living in, the crappy state of our bank accounts, and the crappy cars we drove. We have bigger and better things to concern ourselves with now. And, even though it is much more stressful than anything we have ever dealt with before, I am so glad we are where we are today. We have Marissa. We have each other. We are a family.

I can't wait to see what the next twenty years brings.

Jeremy, thank you for all you have given me over the years. I love you.

"The closer I'm bound in love to you, the closer I am to free."
Indigo Girls ~ Power of Two

11 comments:

Tara said...

Holy cow....I can't believe it's been 20 years! You two are definitely evidence of the verse "All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose". Congratulations on 20 amazing years!

Love you guys!!

Colleen said...

I LOVE it!! You make such a cute couple and you're amazing parents.

The VW's said...

How sweet!!! It's amazing that you guys have been together for so long, considering you got together so young! That is a testimony to the love that you must have for one another!

I love the picture of your's and Jeremy's hand and then the next one of your hands together with Marissa's! Great idea!

Enjoy your anniversary of being together for 20 years! You have a lot to show for yourselves! HUGS!!!

Lacey said...

How cute that you've been together since you were 14! True soulmates!

Nana and PaPa said...

Wow! How time flies....20 years...wow. I know you two have gone through highs and lows in your relationship. Just remember to be kind to each other in thought and deed; if you're angry or hurt, think before you speak...serve each other in love, kindness and respect; tell each other "I love you" each and everyday; hug and kiss often; laugh together and be silly to soften the hard spots in life; and love unconditionally as if there is no tomorrow, and the next 20 years will be the ride of a lifetime! WOOOOHHOOOOO!! Love you guys and happy 20th
Love,
Mom & Larry

Kendra said...

Congratulations! Aren't you glad to be on the journey together (and like you said, that you didn't know what it held for you when you started out?)!

Finding Normal said...

Happy anniversary!
I'm sure you know the statistics for marriages when you have a child with special needs as well as I do. And I hope that also unites you and makes you fight harder. I hope that you continue to make each other smile and do little things to brighten the other person's day and remember what exactly brought you together in the first place. I hope that you grow together and grow old together and look back on these early days and wonder how you did it all. Treasure each other and support each other, no matter what.
Those are my cheesey thoughts for tonight. :)

Mandi said...

Alicia and Jeremy Congratulations on the wonderful life the two have given each other for the last 20 years. You can tell just by watching your video how much yall still love each other. Your wonderful parents I can tell just from reading about your wonderful Rissa Roo...Keep it up guys

The Marini's said...

Congratulations on 20 years together! That is quite an accomplishment. I am so happy for you all and wish you many more years of happiness together!!

Michelle and Sean said...

Cute video!! Hope your next 20 bring you guys a lot of fun adventures and maybe less adventures seeing drs.

Hope you guys had an awesome Valentines Day!!

Sherry C said...

Great video. That's amazing that you have been together since 14 I'm impressed.