As we were hiking, there wasn’t a single moment that he let go of his wife. He nearly fell, was cut up against the sharp cactus plants, and carefully balanced himself to keep her from falling.
And that, my friends is true sacrifice. True love.
I couldn’t help but imagine their future and how beautiful it looks. Filled with true sacrifice, forgiveness, love, and giving to the other.
Their love reminded me of the beautiful love that my parents share. A love that I have experienced growing up, and a love that I have been so blessed to have as an influence in my life of what a marriage should look like.
Thirty-eight years. That’s the magic number of years that my parents have been married. That’s more than 13,870 days that they have devoted to one another.
Thirty-eight years that they have made a choice. A choice to choose the other, and a choice to say “I do” over and over and over again day in and day out, even when times were hard or challenging, and even when it was so difficult to say those two words, they did.
And they raised not only myself but my siblings with their selfless love and sacrifice all those thirty-eight years. And I continue even today to hear them say those words to one another:
“I love you.”
I feel so fortunate that they were my example growing up. I photograph every one of my couple’s with nothing but wishes that their marriage will look a lot like my parents’ marriage. A foundation built around faith, trust, selflessness, kindness, sacrifice, and love pouring from their hearts day in and day out for the other.
And to give to the other, endless gifts. Not the materialistic gifts – but the gifts that no one can buy at the store or through one click. I’m talking about the types of gifts such as when their spouse goes somewhere with them when they don’t really want to go. The gift of encouragement and support to chase their spouse’s dreams. And the gift of being faithful and choosing that one person every.single.day.
Marriage is such a beautiful gift. One that cannot be replaced. And what an honor it is that my job is to capture the beginning to that beautiful gift.
xoxo
