Eight years ago today

Eight years ago we pledged our love and commitment for one another before God and before our loved ones. At the risk of sounding cliche, it does feel like it happened yesterday.

Five things I wish I'd known about our marriage eight years ago:

1) We will still be living in Shanghai after 8 years - Given our history of living in different cities before we got married - San Jose and New York to name a few, I would have thought we would be at Hanoi or Mumbai by now. But nope, still in Shanghai. This place kind of grows on you and the pace of change here does keep things fresh - new eateries, new friends, new places to explore.

2) We will still be living apart - this seems to be a common theme for our relationship, working and living apart from one another at a distance.

Himself currently works in Nanjing and though it was a joint decision that received my blessings, I still miss him terribly. We had dated long distance for quite some years (6.5 years of which 9 months of being physically at the same place in the beginning), but I can now see how God was preparing us for something bigger then. I do hope that a posting will turn up in the near future that will allow us to be physically as a family again.

You would think this means I get to sprawl all over a two by two meters bed every night. Think again. Himself sent an envoy, the little one, to take this place.

3) We will be competing for wardrobe space. Himself prides himself as being put together for all seasons. He has six-monthly ritual of swapping his wardrobe around to match the seasons. Need I say more?

4) We still enjoy the simple things in life - grocery shopping, planning menus and trying out self-thought out recipes, giggling at sermons, ogling at our main source of news from home Channelnewsasia and jointly making fun of the little one. Though life has been very hectic for us both, so much so that we don't do many holidays or date nights, I am thankful that we are able to find joy in the small things that happen everyday.

5) Like wine, marriage does get better with age. A common theme I've been hearing a lot about recently is how marriage is not just about love - but about commitment. It is about running the race together and finishing well together.

I am thankful that we have not been challenged so much in our relationship that we are torn apart, but rather, we have been able to, by God's grace, surmount each situation and come through. I am humbled by the knowledge of who is really in charge here - God. Though there are times when I nit pick and wish for a more (fill in the blank) husband - some suggestions in case you need help include romantic, thoughtful, over-the-top - I know that this one is great for me.