Why I got married. (The first time.)

   Recently we had family pictures take and the photographer that I had booked to take our photos was a friend from what I commonly refer to as "before", one who I hadn't seen since I was married to my previous husband. Six and half years had passed but you wouldn't have known it, she welcomed me with a hug and was so sweet, it was as if no time had passed it all. One week later I was admiring our new photos and feeling grateful for Brittany's talent when I had a small "ah ha" moment. I used to spend a lot of time wondering why I married so young and so quickly. Why the Lord would had guided me into a marriage that was probably never supposed to work. I definitely loved and learned but I've since found that more than that was in store for me. In our 18 months of marriage, I was able to meet an abundance of people who have changed my life for the better, those of which I probably wouldn't have met otherwise; friends of his, family of his, neighbors we had, members of our church in the area where we lived, ect. I still keep in touch with many of these people from "before" and I'm grateful to have them in my "now".

    Several months ago I had a good friend email me for advice, he knew I had previously been through a divorce and was seeking a little bit of guidance in his overwhelming desire for change. We messaged back and forth for a while and I was able to share my story as well as answer his questions and offer bits of wisdom that had been placed in my path along my journey. He wasn't the first person to ask about my divorce in hopes of learning something from my struggle, and I hope he isn't the last.  
    Although my divorce was hard, it wasn't ugly and it went surprisingly smooth all the way to the end. Ties were cut and we went our different ways in a very short amount of time and life continued on but I'll never forget the friends I was able to make and the lessons I was blessed to learn. 

    I'm grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who knows just what I need, his timing is always perfect. I'm thankful for a sweet husband who was patient as I adjusted to being married to someone who loved me and wanted to be married. Sometimes I find myself just staring at him and silently thanking the Lord for lifting me up when I was down and reminding me that I am worth it.