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"The growth of love is not a straight line, but a series of hills and valleys." 
- Madeleine L'Engle, Two Part Invention: The Story of Marriage

On this day, exactly 23 years after saying "I will" on an bright October Saturday, the road was straight, not a hill in sight. 

We took a drive for an overnight 2 hours north- "we" meaning me and him and four girls that we didn't even know to dream about 23 years ago; "we" because the primary purpose was not an anniversary get-away but one girl's girls' soccer game.  On this day, we took two cars, mostly because the one that fits us all has a lousy alternator and we don't dare venture two hours from home in it right now. But taking two cars gave us, me and him, an excuse to drive in one, sending the girls in the other.

There's no one I want to take a road trip with more than that guy. We've traveled together on many roads, over many hills and several deep valleys, through these years. I'm thankful that we're still traveling together. And enjoy the journey. And like each other. 

But even more than that, I'm thankful for how we see God's covenant grace in our marriage. It seems no ordinary wonder that this marriage between two sinners continues to be sustained. I think about Paul's exhortation in Colossians 3:12-17. Maybe we know more about putting on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience than we once did. We certainly know more about bearing with one another and forgiving. Without question, 23 years after taking those sacred vows, we continue to learn about the growth of love and about thankfulness.

So on this October Saturday, we intertwined fingers and talked and laughed at ourselves and even sat in the comfortable quiet only 23 years allows. Even on this straight piece of open road, we know the hills and the valleys are never far away. Yet we also know Him who navigates us down that road. Our confidence in His grace is sure. I'm eager to see what the journey together has yet to show us.