It was eight years ago today that [Kathy->] and I were married. Though the intervening time hasn’t always been easy for either of us, I’m grateful every day that we’ve stuck with it.

Marriage is the crucible God most often uses to forge my character into something better than it would have otherwise been. The pleasure, challenge, and discipline of building a life together pulls me out of selfishness and forces me to think about another person — something that often comes hard for me. It’s rarely like I imagined it from the outside, and is often more work than my lazy nature would choose, but I’m glad that we’ve been able to discover the intricacies of marriage together.

Kathy, I haven’t any idea what life would look like without you. Thanks for being my friend and partner in all we’ve been through. I look forward to learning how to live with you and love you better over the next eight years — and beyond.