5,479 DAYS STRAIGHT!! I’m an ironman!!

FIVE
THOUSAND
FOUR
HUNDRED
SEVENTY
NINE

That's my best mathematical guess at how many days Kathy and I have been married.  Every day since March 5, 1994 I have been married to my wedded wife.  That's awesome!  It's like I'm Cal Ripken!  Never missed a day!  I've been showin' up for work and gettin' the job done.  Through the better and worse, richer and poorer, sickness and in health.  I have loved, do love, and will continue to love my wife.  Happy Anniversary, Kathy!!

BETTER- That's been most of those 5,479 days.  Most every day has been better.  We are very blessed!
WORSE- Very few have been worse.  But even on those "worse" days we have been secure in one another.  I know God has pulled us through a lot of things… and I'm so thankful, Kathy, for your constant faith and abiding love!
RICHER- We've never been "wealthy" compared to many western standards, but we have always had what we needed and have been often blessed with much more.  That goes for more than money… That includes joy and abundance of life too.  I'm grateful to be blessed in this way so that we can bless others.
POORER- We've had only a few poorer days… Of course, Kathy has sacrificed a lot so that I could pursue more education… (Almost done!).  I got pretty sick of peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches in the early years.
SICKNESS- The worst of the worse days and best of the better days somehow seem to be in times of sickness… and sometimes it's intimately both worse and better all at once.  The crushing stress of your spouse's illness… the fear of what could happen… can bring a sweetness alongside the bitter suffering.  I'm not sure that I've ever felt such an acuteness of love and life as I have during the times of sickness.  But please… let's not have any more times like that!! : )
HEALTH-  I have the privilege of meeting with many couples in preparation for their weddings… and I always try to point out how important it is to vow to one another your faithful love during times of health.  I think most marriages, if not checked, will embrace complacency during times of health.  Sometimes a good shot of sickness is just what's needed to remind us of what we could lose… or to turn off our selfish/inward button for a while.  Kathy… THANKS for loving me in times of health!  Thanks for loving me today… a health-full time.  I cherish that. 

Now… let's go on a date!!