Thankfulness Day 18

Today I am thankful for all of the amazing Christian couples we have to look up to. When TJ and I were getting married we had all sorts of alarming statistics thrown at us. Divorce rates, infidelity rates, etc. For a young couple just beginning their lives together that is very scary. Especially for TJ and I because we had only known each other for a little over a year. We did not have a long courtship and then a long engagement. We met got engaged and were married within a year and a couple months. I would not have done it any different because I knew that God had destined TJ and I to be together. He is truly my other half.
Anyway back to thankfulness. With all of the negativity that we faced early on, we knew that we were going to need to find mature couples that we could look up to and look to for guidance. My parents have been a huge support. Not only because they are my parents but because they have been married for over 30 years. They act just as much in love now as when they were first married if not more so. My parents are like TJ and myself. They met in October and were married the following August. No long dating or engagement. I got to see first hand what a christian marriage ought to look like. God was always first in our home. We were always in church. All of us in a pew with our nice church clothes on. We prayed often in the house, not just at dinner times. And one thing that TJ and I try to emulate is date night. Even when we did not have the money for Mom and Dad to go out for a date, they sent us to the grandparents so that they could have a nice meal and just be together without the 3 of us underfoot. This happened a minimum of once a month. Mom and Dad knew it was important to be a couple not just mom and dad.
Both sets of my grandparents are also great examples. One set was married for over 50 years before my grandfather passed away. The other set did not make it that long because my grandfather passed away. but both sets were very much in love until the day that they were forced to be a part. My moms parents never in the length of their marriage spent a night apart. That is dedication!
We have also been blessed to meet many other older couples through the years that we have learned a lot from. The advice we have been given, the prayers, and sometimes the smacks upside the head have really helped TJ and I to form a strong bond. When you take 2 people as different as me and TJ you really need to learn how to mesh. But through it all we are stronger and very much in love. Thank you guys for being such great examples not just to me and TJ but to others out there who watch you. You are truly an inspiration and we hope that one day we can mentor other young couples as you did us. We love each and every one of you! TJ and my goal is to be the old couple sitting in the front pew sharing a hymnal just like you!