Happy 27th Anniversary, You Two

May is quite the month in my family. There are countless birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, etc. It is easy for things to get rushed through, or even missed. I get to share my birthday with my parents, because I was born on their 5th anniversary. That makes this day even that much more special to me, and I wanted to take a couple of minutes and recognize my parents and their marriage of 27 years, today! It's a little weird that these people have been loving each other and making a life together longer than they were living without one another; longer than I've even been alive. (obviously, haha).

By watching these two love each other day in and day out, I've been privileged enough to observe what true love looks like. Yes, it is patient, and kind, not envious or boastful, nor proud; love is selfless, not easily angered, forgiving, it rejoices with truth and goodness; love always protects, always hopes, always perseveres - love never fails. We know this from 1 Corinthians, and we know this is how God loves us. But to see two people love each other this way is beyond what words can describe. This kind of love is rare, and beautiful, and precious. It is this kind of love that I will hold out for; I will never settle for anything less.

Beyond fulfilling what God has said and demonstrated to us that love ought to be, my parents have also taught me that love should also be:

1) Fashionable:

2) Fun:

3) Full of Kisses (even when your children cringe)

4) and Fulfilling. It should continue through the years to grow and strengthen so that you are more and more in love every single day, even the days when loving that someone is hard.

I love these two people so incredibly much. I love watching them love each other, and those around them. They care so deeply for one another, and they put each other first. They laugh, and explore, and sing, and dance, and cry, and pray for and with each other. They are best friends, but they are so much more. They understand one another in a way that no one else ever will. They acknowledge and embrace their imperfections, and they strive to be better versions of themselves as individuals as well as together, as one. They have set the bar high, and I pray that one day I will find the man who I will love this way for the rest of my life.

Daddy and Mommy,

Thank you for the examples that you are. Thank you for being my parents, my friends, my inspiration, and so much more. I love you!! Happy Anniversary - here's to many more!!

Loving you Always,

Kortney Alacyn