My husband and I have been married 16 years as of today!

Oh yeah, you know this is the double-rainbow of LOVE! :)

I cannot believe it has been 16 years already...

He and I fell in love while we were both in Navy training. We were young. It was insane. We dated for 2 months, got engaged, and two months later, got married!
Crazy, right?!

Yeah, I know, it doesn't make sense. Ask anyone if a marriage started in this manner will last, and they will tell you NO! That is a HORRIBLE idea!
I agree.
Looking back, I realize what a silly, impulsive, thing that was to do. Do I regret it?

Not in the least!

I am every bit as in love with him as I was 16 years ago. Only it is a deeper, more mature love.

What is the secret?! Well, we have had our ups and downs. Our rough patches and difficulties, just like any other couple.
What made the difference? Well, I think it is a couple things.
First, and absolutely foremost, is God. That's right. God.
We both became Christians a year or two into our marriage. We learned from the Bible how husbands need to treat wives, and how wives need to treat their husbands. We learned many valuable lessons there. As time went by, God helped him to be a better husband and father, and me to become a better wife and mother.
I can honestly say that without God, we might not have lasted.

The second thing is NOT GIVING UP. In this day and age, people tend to want to throw away and replace broken items rather than repair them. Marriage is looked at this way also by some. If you are tired of your spouse, if you bicker and disagree, if they suddenly annoy the crap out of you, well, you can divorce them and move on to the next person.

From the very beginning, we decided not to give up. No throwing in the towel and moving on to what seems to be a 'better' option at the time. If we have a problem, we FIX it. We talk it over. We compromise. We fix what is broken. And because of this, our marriage has, over time, grown and matured into something wonderful.

What is marriage? Marriage is the conscious decision to love another human being more than you love yourself.

Even if they are getting on your nerves. Even if you are tired. Even if they fall short and disappoint you. Even if you don't feel like it.
You love them.

I am sure, as more years pass, our love will continue to grow and mature to levels I can't even imagine now. Just like I could not imagine our current relationship 10-15 years ago.
I'm looking forward to the next 16 years. ♥

Thanks for reading, Steemians! I hope you all have a wonderful day out there in Steemland! ♥