Six Months of Marriage, 13 Days with Nathan

On Friday we will have been married for six months. I cannot believe how quickly that time has gone by. I am so greatful to God for the amazing gift of peace that we have had in these past six months. We have spent 13 days together in six months of marriage. We have been so blessed by the lessons we've learned through this unique situation. I think that each day that we travel on this journey God has given us, we learn more and more about one another. I have learned that Nathan is fully dedicated to me and to our relationship. He is a man who less than a year ago, struggled to have a phone conversation of any length where he actually had to participate. Now, he is a man who can hold an interesting and loving phone call for an hour and a half while he sits in a room with a number of other soldiers. He tells me stories about Iraq on Saturday mornings while I struggle to wake up without being grumpy with him. He calls in between my early morning prayer service and my 10:30 church service on Sundays. On days when he isn't out on a mission, he calls at 6:30 am and we chat while I iron my clothes and let the dog out and eat my breakfast. He talks me through my morning commute and we talk through the very last minute of the 7 am hour in the parking lot of my office. We continue to hold strong to our committment to be joyful and lighthearted during our time together on the phone. I struggle to hang up every single time he calls. Even on the days when we are blessed with two hours on the phone together, I still hang up and feel a sense of loss. I am acutly aware that my husband is not here with me. I spent a great deal of time before I met Nathan coming home to a house only occupied by a dog and it never bothered me. Now every time I enter our apartment, I feel the emptiness wash over me. God has given me the strength and the grace to push on through those feelings and arrive at a place of determination and unbelievable perseverence. I am thankful that I know a God who loves me, who knows me, and who is bigger than the war in Iraq, bigger than the battles we fight, bigger than my emotions, and bigger than the struggles in this journey of being married to Nathan. I am blessed to be on this journey with a man who understands what it is to be a devoted husband, a Godly husband, and my best friend. Thank God for this journey and for Nathan.