10 years

It’s been ten years since we said “I do” and made a covenant with God and each other to be husband and wife. Does that sound serious? Well, it is.

And, it is so much better and complicated than I ever imagined. We prepared. We took classes. Pre-marriage bible studies. I would do all of that again. Because, I believe it’s helped us to be better communicators and have a better marriage.

But, I think what has helped the most is our joint commitment to each other and to God. We make so many decisions based on how we believe God is leading us. We challenge each other and we don’t always agree. However, when it comes to the big issues we are passionate about: being the church, ending slavery, injustices in the world, contributing to our neighborhood’s well being, family… We’re on the same page. We want to raise great citizens of this great planet and be great citizens in the process.

I love being married to this man. Making music with him has been such a gift to our marriage.

I love you, Moustapha. I pray we have many more decades together to learn and grow! Happy 10 year Anniversary!

Love,
Rebekah

Feeling a little sad about J&K+8

When I first saw the show Jon & Kate Plus 8, Bakri was really young. I never even knew when the original shows aired. Occasionally I would catch a few shows on a Saturday here and there. And, the few times I saw the show, I enjoyed it. I connected with the family because the sextuplets were around the same age as Bakri. And it was quite a sight to see a family dealing with some of the same issues we were (times 6.) I was encouraged to put Maddux and Bakri in the same room when I saw all 6 of the sextuplets sleeping in cribs all in the same room! And I knew I could get my kids on a schedule to keep sanity in my life, if a mom with 8 could do it! And, sometimes when I would feel sorry for myself (yes, this does happen sometimes) I would think about how easy I have it getting around the city with 2, and now 3 kiddos. How easy is that compared to someone who actually gets out of the house with 8 kids???

But, seeing a marriage fall apart and two parents separate has left me feeling really sad. I, like millions of other people, made it a point to watch the show Monday night. On this episode, Jon & Kate announced that they were “separating” and at the end of the show the words on the screen said papers had been filed that day to dissolve their ten year marriage.

Does that make you feel depressed? It definitely left me feeling heavy-hearted. Obviously, I don’t know these people. They have put themselves out there for the world to see. And, many of us have watched and seen the covers of the gossip magazines. They made a commitment to each other ten years ago before God and their families and now after having 8 children together, they are getting a divorce. I just find it so troubling and heartbreaking.

I feel most sad for the children. We can sit and judge the parents all day long and all give opinions on who seems more difficult to live with. But, at the end of the day, those children are the ones that are going to be most affected by this life-changing decision.