Having been married for almost six years (in July, what what!) Dave and I have learned a thing or two about marriage. But one of the major themes that I have noticed in the last few years that keeps coming back and back is: love grows stronger. When Dave and I were married six years ago, I never imagined being able to love him more. I thought I knew him deeply and I couldn't fathom how that could grow any more. HA! I was oh so naive.

Because that is exactly what marriage does. It grows your love, it matures your love and it deepens the relationship you share. The more life Dave and I have experienced together, good and bad, the more I have known him. And the more I know him, the more the intimacy of our relationship deepens. And the more intimate our love is, the more it grows.

It's hard, I think, at times to fathom spending a lifetime together with the same person. How could you possibly love one person for the rest of your life? And that statement is partially true. How could you? How could you continue to love the same person for the rest of your life if your LOVE for that person never changes? If my love for Dave stayed stagnant, in the same place that it was six years ago when I said "I Do", we would never grow and our relationship would suffer. It would never acknowledge the history and experiences that we have shared together and it would never be an accurate reflection of our current relationship. Love only grows stronger because we change and grow together

On our wedding day, when I thought I couldn't love him more, I had no idea what the future held for us. And make no mistake these past years have been work. We have worked diligently to grow and mature our relationship. Sometimes fighting for it. Today I'm so thankful for that work.

Looking back makes me excited for the future. Because honestly I can't imagine loving Dave more. But we still have many more years of life to go. A house full of kids, college tuitions and grey hair. How will that grow us, change us, shape us and mold us? How different our love will look? How much more filled will my heart be looking back on a life shared together? What a great day that will be when we are old and grey, seeing the grand picture of how our love has changed and grown and shaped who we are.

Love only grows stronger.