Hi Neighbor!

Today is my 5-year wedding anniversary (yep, Tax Day!). We were married on a picture-perfect Spring day and I would do it all again in a heartbeat…er, maybe with the exception of a few things. First: 2021 Marisa would really consider a micro-wedding (or mini-mony, how cute is that one!). Don’t get me wrong – we enjoyed every minute celebrating with our family and friends and felt so grateful and so, so loved. But, I can also appreciate the simple joy of an elegant dinner with a smaller guest list, good food and great wine.

Second: I would re-write our vows. My husband and I wrote them together, intending for them to be original, but they were essentially a take on the classic for better or worse, sickness and health. Reflecting back, it’s almost comical that we expressed these mega commitments to each other, yet hadn’t really experienced any of those “for worse” moments (you know, like a global pandemic that upended life as we knew it). When it comes to marriage, we all jump in willingly of course – but we’re also blind to what life has in store for us. We hope that as we’re tested, we pass, survive and thrive together as partners.

We included the poem below in our ceremony. We picked it because it felt a little cheeky, but reading it today, after surviving the hellscape of the past year together, it’s spot on for our daily lives. Because if I’ve learned anything in the past 5 years, it’s that it’s not just the big things that test us. Most days, it’s the little things. The little things that can start to add up, that can threaten to break you. Or, the little things that can simply make your days a little brighter.

So, if you’re reading this, dear husband, 2021 Marisa would make these vows: I promise to be kind to you. I promise to forgive you. I promise to laugh with you. And I promise to always be there for you.

Cheers,

Marisa

I’ll Be There For You

By Louise Cuddon

I’ll be there my darling, through thick and through thin

When your mind’s in a mess and your head’s in a spin

When your plane’s been delayed, and you’ve missed the last train.

When life is just threatening to drive you insane

When your thrilling whodunit has lost its last page

When somebody tells you, you’re looking your age

When your coffee’s too cool, and your wine is too warm

When the forecast said “Fine”, but you’re out in a storm

When the jeans that you bought in hope or in haste

Just stick on your hips and don’t reach round your waist

So my darling, my sweetheart, my dear…

When you break a rule, when you act the fool

When you’ve got the flu, when you’re in a stew

When you’re last in the queue, don’t feel blue cause

I’m telling you,

I’ll be there.