Marriage is made of moments and minutes, both dull and lively. Its strength is often ignored and constantly challenged. The trick is remembering the little things that love has to offer and soaking in what it is to be in marriage, to be in love.

I’m soaking in the bliss that is new marriage, not because it’s constant, but because it brings light to the challenges, not worth, but light. I don’t think I need to speak to the worth that challenges have to offer; they press reflection, patience, and selflessness out of the hardest of hearts. The bliss, though, is in the details. The little things bring light to the rest, but sometimes they get lost in the chaos.

Years ago I interned with a company that worked me to the bone. Eighty hours a week and knocking on doors will suck the life out of anyone, but it gave me an opportunity that complacency couldn’t. I had to find beauty somewhere. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t make it through the day.

I would soak in the morning air and thank God for spending the day outside. I would literally smell flowers as I strolled by… And the one time those flowers happened to be roses? I laughed out loud to myself and promised to never forget the moment. Any onlookers would have been justified to lock their doors at this point, although it’s sad to think that random bursts of joy can only come from a crazy person.
My favorite memory from this season is learning to find the beauty in the smallest of things. A lesson I’ve grown too far past, a lesson I need to relearn for this new season.

There’s so much beauty to see in marriage. The personal growth needed to not have the same argument over and over again. The self-control it takes to bite your tongue. The trust required to give your entire being to another person.

Each piece is beautiful, so incredibly beautiful.

Today I’m choosing to see love in the little things, to soak in all my new marriage has to offer. I’m choosing to remember that marriage isn’t just about committing to be with a person but to love them as hard as you know how. It’s too easy not to notice the coffee that’s been made perfectly to your taste or the laundry that’s been put away. Love is in the details. Soak them up.