of grateful praise

12 years ago today, my hands were marred. 12 years ago today, as i awoke, i began to form a most beautiful creation. with delight, one by one, i pruned roses. taking off the outer petals to reveal the unmarked, beautiful ones inside. stripping off the thorns. cutting the stems. gathering the flowers into a bouquet of goodness. later that evening, that bouquet accompanied me down the aisle to meet my love. i smelled the sweetness and looked forward to that fragrance following us throughout our journey. my heart, happy. my face, smiling. my hands... cut up! i didn't care. i adore flowers. i was elated to create my own wedding bouquet. i haven't thought much about that process, or the results until now. now i see the lesson. because 12 years of marriage brings about quite a significant amount of beauty and thorns. the stems of those roses remind me that i have a choice. i can choose to leave the thorns of life on. waiting to prick whenever encountered. or... i can choose to prune those thorns. to cut them off. they will still leave their mark. but they will not prick any longer. the petals remind me that i have a choice. i can choose to reveal the beauty in life. or... i can choose to keep it covered up. my cut up hands remind me that life leaves it's marks. i can choose to let it become infected. or... i can choose to seek healing. i don't always make the right choices. in fact, i have made some pretty poor choices. but i am thankful that all it takes is a decision. the thorns, the petals, the cuts will remain. until i choose to do something about them. thank you my love. for your patience. for your perseverance. for your loyalty. for your faith. for your forgiveness. for your love. happy anniversary.