Rely on one another

My dad was an F-4 pilot in the Air Force. Being the daughter of a fighter pilot, I grew up dreaming of being a Thunderbird pilot. I would practice on my roller skates in the drive way, skating around in different formations, imagining myself pulling G's in a cockpit one day. When I was 14 my dad transitioned to reserves in the Air Force, and started working in the commercial airlines. That didn't lead me to the stick shift in a cockpit, but it did lead me to some tomato juice in seat 22B.  As an employee, family members could travel for (basically) free with standby flying. Our family took full advantage of that benefit! My senior year I traveled somewhere once a month. Sometimes I traveled by myself, and sometimes we made a spectacle of it and had 5 girls, ages 7-17, dressed in Sunday best, each pulling our own little travel suitcase behind us following our parents through terminals and down gangplanks. Because it was standby, our family of 7 was usually spread out in middle seats throughout the plane. When we first started flying I didn't want to burden the flight attendants when they asked for drink orders: parched was par for me. However, the more I flew, the more I realized it didn't matter one iota to them if I got a drink or not. That is when tomato juice become my airplane drink. My family flew all over the country; visiting family, visiting friends, visiting landmarks and loving the benefits of my dad's job. My grandpa was also able to use the 'free flying' as an employee parent. Sadly, he believed flying to be too hard on his ear pressurization and hasn't flown--not even once. I'm forever grateful for my healthy eustachian tubes and parents that helped us jump on the 747-400 bandwagon! 
When I looked forward to marriage as a young woman, I imagined marrying my best friend. I wanted to marry someone that wasn't just good with kids, but would be good with teenagers. I wanted to marry someone that could help me be the best me everyday. I wanted to marry someone that would be proud of me when I changed our flat tire. I wanted to marry someone that loved his mom. I wanted to marry someone that made me laugh. I worked hard and married a man that qualified as the man of my youthful dreams. As we share our life together, I've learned there are so many enriching and uplifting benefits of marriage. 
Do we remember to live up to the privileges that belong to husband and wife? In a world where independence is expected and rewarded, we can not forget that the most basic unit of society is the family. And a family begins with a couple. In a marriage relationship, if independence is our only goal we will not find the unity and teamwork that is crucial for a healthy relationship. It is a beautiful thing to know that my husband has my back. It is also beautiful to know that we have built a relationship in which he has my best interest in mind. Sometimes loving suggestions come that lead to improvement and positive change. I can rely on him and he relies on me. A husband and wife can improve their reliance on one another. We can open up emotionally to each other for support in our trials. We can rely on each other spiritually. It is easier to draw closer to God together than to try to do it separately. We can rely on each other for our temporal needs. I do not like driving in the dark. Eric never complains and always does our night driving. Marriage affords us the blessing of a built-in better half. Our strengths and our weaknesses balance each other. Many times we get so busy and so distracted by life, that we can feel isolated or alone or like we are drowning. We can lessen that burden by relying on each other. We just have to reach out and meekly trust our spouse. With a partner, confidant, spider-killer, supporter and lover we can jump in and take advantage of all the blessings that come from such an intimate relationship. Do not let the beautiful journey of marriage escape you. Because it would certainly be a travesty to blame an adventureless life on a set of bad ears.