Growing up, I didn’t pay much attention to my parent’s anniversary. All I knew was that they got gifts from our extended family some time in March and they’d usually go out to dinner. When it came time to celebrate our first anniversary, I was a little surprised how many people wanted to celebrate our marriage. Of course, this year, I’m embracing that philosophy full on and am ready to toast our union! As if you needed a reason to have something to celebrate, below are five excuses to party it up for everyone’s wedding anniversary!
1. It reaffirms your marriage: Sometimes it feels like there are a million different ways the world, life, etc. can get between you and your spouse. Every little spat, every little inconvenience is a little threat to what God has joined together. Anniversaries can be the occasion to re-seal the bond and reexamine why you made the commitment in the first place. It’s a chance to reunite with your spouse and discuss your goals, dreams, shortcomings, and things you wish you could do differently. It’s like a New Years resolution time for marriage!
2. Celebrating other’s anniversaries with a card or gift shows gratitude and support for their union: I love to celebrate my friend’s birthdays since I’m grateful for their friendship. My friend’s marriages are no different! I love my friend’s spouses and I love that they make them happy. The fact that two people strive to love each other 365 days out of the year is truly something to get excited about in and of itself.
3. Celebrating gives a much needed break from the monotony of daily life: Lately, my husband and my conversations have involved a lot of diapers, breastfeeding, baby skin rashes and laundry. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s not necessarily something that we bond over. We share a love of God, theology, politics, and history, which were the things we originally spent our time talking about over dinner. This year on our anniversary, I plan on getting dressed up and I can’t wait to converse about the recent gubernatorial elections!
4. Milestone anniversaries are a source of pride and accomplishment: Marriage is challenging. It’s a wonderful challenge, but it’s so integral to who we are and it even includes the most sinful parts of our identity, so sometimes it can feel like a marathon. I can’t believe my husband has put up with my ugly sins for two whole years! Wow! I think every year is something that a couple can be really proud of. A year is 52 weeks of loving for better or worse. Few other kinds of promotions or other goals include that kind of persistence and dedication.
5. Proclaims to the world the goodness of marriage: I think the attack on marriage is a real thing. Late night comedians may mock it, the media may be embracing a redefinition of marriage, but that doesn’t change what marriage essentially is. Any disordered take on marriage, be it the duration, the genders, or the monogamy is an attack on a beautiful institution that God created. Married couples, no matter how long they’ve been married, can teach the world a lot about love.
So this year, don’t just mark you calendar with your wedding anniversary (I mean, definitely do that too), but also take the time to mark down the anniversaries of people you love and be sure to tell them how much their marriage means to you, be it with a Facebook post, a card or a little giftie. They’ll appreciate it and maybe make them think a little about how what they have is such a tremendous blessing.