Life and Times of the Fireflies: This is Us...Celebrating Our 15th Anniversary

I've picked up my laptop numerous times this week in an attempt to complete this post before today. I've stopped and started several times...picked up my pen to jot down random thoughts and thought up elaborate metaphors to describe our relationship...our marriage; only to have to put it down and have my thoughts and feelings lost to the demands this week has brought and it left me feeling...well...defeated! But I suppose if there ever was a metaphor for "us" then this week was it...drudging through the demands this catastrophic week(s) has brought with it; when often times I felt like I was snowballing to the finish line; it was the traces of "us" that shone like rays of sunshine through the thick of things that managed to saved my sanity from it all. The laughter, the stolen kisses and reassuring glances that things will always be okay.

And so, despite the fancy words I wished to spill out to show my love and appreciation. Despite the elaborate display I wanted to conjure up...I know, that for us, the most meaningful things lies in the seemingly small moments and gestures that manage to fill up our whole hearts and proves to be our beacon of light when we need it most. And so, this is my offering today as we celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary; most probably in pyjamas with the kids scattered around us; because this is "us" and this is how I like it to be - both complicated and uncomplicated at the same time, fuss free and fabulous in it's simplicity.

I used to think that forever was a very long time to be together, but at the rate the last 15 years have flown by; forever seems hardly enough time to be with you. There are moments that feel like no time has passed at all; fleeting glimpses of the people we used be, little reminders of our youth filled days (and I'm not referring to the wardrobe of clothes that don't fit) that often times seem misplaced amidst the chaos of everyday.

15 years is a long time I guess...We're not old enough to be considered old, but possess too many grey hairs to be classified as young! We have conquered the years of sleepless nights, teething babies and a bed full of toddlers...together we have just barely survived the tween and adolescent years...and right now we are smack bang in the middle of the minefield that is the Teens; and in the midst of it all, we have managed to maintain an "us". Together we have a history...built spectacular memories...conquered mountains...and as always, we stand together, ready to embrace whatever another year brings!

If this past year of marriage has taught me anything, then it is that things can change at any given moment. That nothing is ever constant and to always be prepared to shift gears and change course. It is a reminder to not have our anchors too deeply rooted to the ground, so that when the wind and the waves change direction, it's easier to adjust our sails and go with the flow. It has taught me that beginnings don't neccessarily happen at the beginning...that through our life, we will face numerous endings and several new beginnings. But I want you to know, that even if we had to start over a hundred times more, there's nobody I trust more to be by my side than you. You are both my anchor and my sails and I will love you forever...however long our forever will be...