Today is my sister and brother-in-law’s 20-year anniversary.  I remember their wedding like it was yesterday.  But aside from the beauty, fun, and excitement of the day, there is one moment that has been burned into my memory for all these years; the moment when Corey turned around and saw my sister, Jen, in her wedding dress for the first time.  I believe they were doing some pictures before the ceremony (if I remember that part correctly) so Corey stood facing a hallway and Jennifer came up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.  He turned around and a look that I can only describe as complete and utter love and adoration swept over him.  She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and his expression held the magnitude of that moment.  It was a look of awe, excitement, and anticipation knowing that in just a couple of hours, this amazing woman would be his wife forever.  I had never seen such a genuine moment like that before and a wave of emotion swept over me that has lingered all these years.  It was magic.

Twenty years has brought Jen and Corey two amazing children along with the many highs and lows of married life.  Perhaps they didn’t realize it but I’ve always been watching… and learning.  From their marriage I’ve seen them have moments that I thought would end it, but they stayed together.  I’ve seen them go from hardship to success and back many times, but they stayed together.  I’ve seen them face parenthood, friendships, and life’s tough moments with both despair and hope… but they faced it together.  I guess you could say I have really learned from their example what the words commitment and resilience mean and what it’s like to fight for family and to keep moving forward even when we don’t know what the future will bring.  They’ve taught me that life always brings new challenges and sometimes it’s just about putting one foot in front of the other and riding out the storm.  It really is about the journey we take with the people we love unconditionally, for better or worse.  They have inspired me to take off the rose-colored glasses we all bring into a marriage and get down and do the work because even after 20 years, they can still find the love and hope and excitement they had on their wedding day.  It’s always there, if we just choose to see it.

Happy Anniversary Jen and Corey!  You are an inspiration!