Day 2 -- Rescued

We were a lot skinnier back then.  I would say that there's hope for us to look like that again someday, but who am I kidding?  We both learned how to cook.

Back when we were dating, Ben and I were in different wards.  To make a long story short, one Sunday during church I was passing out and couldn't move because of a physical problem I was having.  My roomie Deanna was trying to help me get home but the furthest we could make it was to the religion building's stairwell where I was slumped over and practically lying down in my dress, trying my best to stay composed.  You know, I'm just so classy like that. I think my body has some rule that I am only ever allowed to pass out in public.

Tons of people were walking right past us.  No one stopped to ask what was up or to offer help.  But there was no way we were going to get home on our own.  So Deanna called up Ben whose ward still hadn't started yet.  Within a few minutes Ben ran up the stairs, picked me up in his arms, carried me to his car, and drove me home.  As soon as I was comfortably lying on my couch he called up his own roomie and had him come over to help give me a blessing.

At the time, it was romantically cheesy that he basically rescued me.  But coming from a married perspective, this incident was the first of many rescue missions we've been a part of.

Most of our rescues haven't been like the one I just mentioned or the one when Ben did the same thing when I passed out at Wal-Mart 8 months pregnant with Lily.  Most of our saves have been emotional or spiritual.

But those have been much more vital to our marriage than anything else.

Ben knows my struggles and I know his struggles.  We both try hard to understand what kind of help we actually need, instead of just assuming that we know what's best for the other person.

My favorite part about marriage is that I get to spend everyday with my best friend.  Who has almost everything in common with me.  Who isn't afraid to share his real, innermost feelings with me and listens to mine.  Who just happens to be the one other person in the whole world who has parented the record-breaking cutest children on the planet.

It's sort of awesome.

We know that the waves are going to keep pounding.  Life doesn't ever stop providing trials.  But this much I can say: What you work the hardest for is what you come to love the most.  And I would say that Ben and I have had to work pretty hard in our marriage -- and we have definitely come to love each other more now than when we were skinnier in that picture up there.

  So when I need to be rescued, it's nice not having to watch the people around me walking by, not offering to help, because Ben's already there.  And hopefully I'm already there for him, too. 

But Heaven help me if Ben really does pass out in a stairwell someday.  Because somebody else is going to have to do the rescuing that day....