My mom is really good at remembering anniversary dates. The number of years the anniversary is commemorating? Perhaps not so much.

A couple weeks ago, she was chatting with me about Sidney’s and my upcoming wedding anniversary.

“How many years will it be?” she asked.
“Six years, mom,” I answered.
“Wow! Already?” she replied.

To use the cliché, time flies when you are having fun and I think that definitely applies to Sidney and I. On June 11, 2016, we tied the knot at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and since that moment it has been an exhilarating road paved with the joy of children, the adventure of a cross country move, and the countless blessings from God.

It was a beautiful feeling walking back up the aisle with Sidney after we were married.

As I personally look back on the past six years, what jumps out to me is progress. As the days turn to weeks, the weeks turn to months, and the months turn to years, the foundation of our marriage continues to grow stronger. To reference an analogy I used in our fourth anniversary reflection (and a Maren Morris song), we have good bones.

The reason for our strengthening bond and healthy bones is pretty simple: God. When we stood at the altar and received the sacrament of holy matrimony, we were blessed with God’s grace. That grace has been with us from Day #1 through Day #2,190—the only difference is that as time goes on we have become better at embracing humility and tapping into it.

Thanks Be To God, it has been a fruitful year of marriage (photo courtesy of Nicole Lynn Photography)

I will remember this past year of marriage for several reasons but for the sake of brevity I will offer just three: Sid and I took our first real vacation together since our honeymoon. We dealt with the loss of a loved one for the first time since saying “I do.” We had the incredible blessing of preparing another couple for holy matrimony.

As we journeyed through the above experiences—one really fun, one sad, one beautiful—we did it against a backdrop of inspiration. Sidney and I have no shortage of successful marriages to glean from, such as the rock solid 40+ year marriages of our parents. But we also admire the marriages of some of our closest peers, namely those couples who are part of our Young Adult Catholic Group. To walk with like-minded husbands and wives, who are also parents, is such a big advantage when it comes to cultivating a marriage that is fruitful.

Sidney and I at our first dinner while on vacation.

Although a faith-based marriage that centers on grace and draws from the experiences of others is bound to be successful, there is one other reason for our past six years of happiness: I have the best wife ever. Seriously. Sidney, thanks for all you do! I love you and feel so blessed to be your best friend. As you would say today, six years down, forever to go. Don’t Blink.