Double Digit Love

When I turned ten, my mother took me out for a Ladies’ Lunch. It was Very Special and Very Fancy. (Pro Tip: Capitalization Makes It So.) It may also have been at the mall, but give me a break: I was only ten.

The big deal about ten, of course, was simply this: Double Digits.

Today, Mike and I have reached the Double Digits of being married. I am thrilled to celebrate this milestone, while also a little stunned that we are already here. In honor of this Double Digit anniversary, we are enjoying two nights at the Konsbruck Hotel in nearby St. Peter. We are small town folks with small kids (and a small budget), so this feels Very Special and Very Fancy to us.

I don’t know if I can better express my love and appreciation for Mike than I did in this Very Romantic post about puke. And I’m sure I don’t have better advice for a happy marriage than Jane’s mom’s mom.

But, as a bishop once said at a forum I attended in seminary, “Everything has been said but not everyone has said it.” (Pro Tip: That was one self-aware bishop. Although, he did go on to say more or less what others had already said.)

In that spirit, here are ten things I’ve gained in my ten years of being married:

1. An appreciation for board games. Although sister Claire and I fondly recall some nights playing a Very Educational card game called Great Women, board games were not a centerpiece of the Lux family childhood. Thanks to Mike, I have discovered the wonderful world of games. And Mike doesn’t even mind that he has to remind me how to play some of them every. Single. Time.
2. An awareness of Doctor Who. Mike’s beloved childhood show, rebooted for a new era. We’ve watched the new stuff and the classic stuff. It’s all pretty great.
3. An understanding of the Marvel Universe. We’ve seen the movies, we’ve seen the shows, we’ve got books and books of the comics. I appreciate having such a knowledgeable guide, and I love watching him read Captain America or Iron Man comic books to Zoe.
4. The patience to let food cook until it’s actually done. More accurately: the knowledge that if I ask Mike to decide when food is ready, those oven french fries will actually be crispy when they come out.
5. A thorough and methodical nature. Okay, I don’t have one of those myself, but I do have a partner who does. Mike is the reason our shower is thoroughly scrubbed and our pots and pans are thoroughly cleaned.
6. An in-house IT guy. We watched the BBC coverage of the London Olympics via proxy server. Don’t ask me what that means, because I have no idea.
7. A different perspective. As I’ve mentioned, Mike and I do not always (or even often) vote the same way. This has given me a deeper understanding of my perspective and his.
8. Patience. Mike thinks before he speaks. I think while I speak. As he once pointed out, this means it’s impossible for us to think at the same time. So, patience with our differences, patience with myself.
9. A dance partner. Two sessions of beginning ballroom dance didn’t quite take (Pro Tip: Mike is a foot taller than I am, which must be the reason), but Mike is always willing to join me on the dance floor.
10. A partner, period. In game playing, TV and movie watching, cooking, cleaning, learning, listening, talking, dancing, dreaming, hoping, parenting, loving, and being in the world.

May we all find such gifts–in spouses, siblings, neighbors, or friends.

A Lutheran Book of Worship partner, too.