Happy Anniversary,DW!

We made it. 14 years today!

Well, I finally gave DW the present I have been holding on to for many months now. I've been building it up so much that I panicked and apologized for it before I gave it to her. I was worried that she wouldn't like it as much as I did but she would be too polite to tell me. That still may be true.

So what was this brilliant idea, you may ask? I scanned one of the better photos from our wedding (our photographer was terrible) and had it reproduced in 3D form inside one of those glass block displays. I think it looks cool, but my reason for giving it to DW goes a little deeper than that. Photos are great because they record a moment of some importance, and in the case of a wedding, that can be of great importance. But I guess in the back of my mind, I know how easy it is to manipulate those images. What once represented a form of some permanence seems a little less so now. Not that it necessarily matters, as I know that the photos of our wedding are accurate and a true representation of the day. But to me, the very nature of the glass block display means it cannot be undone. I suppose it could be added to, and as it is the product of an easily modified photo, it is just as subject to manipulation, but in my mind, it feels more permanent. It feels like it has captured the moment in a way that goes beyond the photo that was used to generate it.

Why does this matter? For the same reason that we bother taking photos in the first place. The journey that DW and I started 14 years ago was one of hope. We each believed we had found the right person for us, but how could we be sure? If I had been completely sure, then I wouldn't have been taking a risk. Committing to someone for the rest of your life is most definitely taking a risk. If I had been completely sure, then the is no way I could have become more sure with every passing year. If our relationship had been perfect at the start, then it would never have improved, but it has done, and in so many ways.

So the two people represented in the glass block display are a reminder of the chance we both took on each other. That is a fixed point at the start of our marriage and it cannot be changed (let's not be too literal with the metaphor, ok). The fact that the glass block display carries so much meaning therefore, is a testament to the courage and determination we have shown to each other. Love is the seed from which the relationship grows, but it is the effort we make that keeps it alive, that keeps it from breaking under the pressures of external forces.

It may not be easy and it's not always fun, but I have never doubted its worth and I'm pretty sure DW agrees with me. It's one of the few things we agree on.

So, happy anniversary my love. Be careful with the glass block. It's fragile (I mean that literally, not figuratively - if you do break it I can always order another one - our marriage is like a rock, but that doesn't look as pretty in the display cabinet).

Ciao!

Thought for the Day: Blackberry jam is the best!