Today it has been ten years since Karina and I had the tackiest wedding in the history of man. Our wedding day is not one that either of us look back on fondly. Fortunately, we have not stayed where we started and our wedding day does not define our marriage. Sorry people who had exceptionally lavish weddings, your wedding doesn't define your marriage either. It is life after the ceremony that matters.
These last ten years have been the hardest of my life. We've struggled and fought hard for the last ten years because our family matters. President Theodore Roosevelt famously said, "Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty." We have had much pain and difficulty over our decade of marriage and every ounce of it is worthwhile.
I thought a lot about what to write and how to honor my wife on our anniversary this year. Since we attach such importance to random numbers, ten is a big deal. Ten things I love about her seems both cliche and underwhelming. Ten memories would have been fun but I'm pretty sure it would have gotten me in trouble.
I decided to highlight my ten favorite blogs by Karina. I'm proud of her writing and I want to honor that. Over the past week, I've gone back a read every single blog she's written and these are my ten favorite in no particular order. Please follow the links and enjoy her writing.
1. Liar - This is a deep and vulnerable look at who Karina is and what she battles. She talks about who she was and who Jesus is making her. She doesn't hold back or try to bake herself look good, she tries to make Jesus look good.
2. Unexpected Grace - Even on days Chaucer leads with his head in the wrong way and jumps headfirst out a window, Karina looks for God's grace and highlights it for all to see.
3. Wait - Karina wrote this blog on one of the hardest and darkest days we've faced. This was the day we learned that Mars Hill would be closing and spinning off all locations as independent churches. God has shown us so much at Mars Hill that it just crushed her and beautifully explained her pain.
4. Thoughts of a Childless Single Karina - There is plenty of humor in this blog and most moms will be able to relate to her thoughts on both sides of motherhood but what I like most of her conclusion, "Really the biggest thing I have learned is that everything is to point me back to Christ".
5. My Psalm - The first time she went through Redemption Groups, Karina wrote this Psalm. It was in this season of small group counseling that Karina's life really began to change and this is what she had to say about it.
6. Aunt & Uncle Day - Jordan and Alicia mean the world to us! They were the first people God sent us as family. My wife, the loving, creative, and thoughtful person she is, decided we needed a special day to honor them. This is the story of the first Aunt and Uncle Day.
7. One Whole Hand - I really like the title of this blog but that's not why I picked it. Karina has a special love for each of our children and I appreciate that about her. Abby is a unique little girl and Karina captures her personality perfectly in this short blog.
8. Sweet Baby Tessie...or Not so Much - Hot Mess Tess is our baby and Karina accurately describes life with Tessa. She is full of beauty, joy, giggles, fun, and trouble... oh so much trouble.
9. My Latest Psalm - This Psalm is now a couple years old but I love how much growth it shows since her first one. You can clearly see Karina's growth in so many areas.
10. Left - This final blog is a painful look at Karina's relationship or lack thereof with her mother and the grace and redemption and has found in Christ. There is so much emotion, loss, grief, hope and joy packed into this little blog. In 677 words she writes an entire book. If you want to understand Karina, read this one.
There are a lot of other ones I wanted to include but it's only been ten years so I'm limited here. I hope you enjoy her writing as much as I do. Please read her blog, follow it and share it with others, She's never admit it but that would really mean a lot to her.
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