Just Wait and See…
Once upon a time, there lived a boy and a girl who loved each other at a very young age. They loved each other so much that the boy asked the girl to be his wife, and she said yes. Even though neither of them knew the first thing about being a husband or a wife.
“They’re too young!” the townspeople cried. “It’s too hard to be married when you’re too young!”
But the boy and the girl just held hands and walked down the aisle like stupid, young people in love do.
“We’ll just have to wait and see…” they said.
Not long after, the boy and the girl moved across the country to make their brains smarter at graduate school. They worked long hours and studied every minute they had.
“Newlyweds should be having picnics and eating bon bons,” the townspeople cried. “It’s too hard to be married when you have other priorities!”
But the boy and the girl continued to study and work hard, and no matter how busy they got, they made sure their feet found each other at night when they laid down.
“We’ll just have to wait and see…” they said.
Finally, the boy and the girl felt like they had made themselves as smart as they ever could, and they graduated.
“What’s next?” asked the boy.
“A house,” said the girl.
And so the boy and the girl took their shiny new paychecks and bought a beautiful little house. Though they were far away from their family, the boy and the girl were so very happy in this new little house.
“Couples so young should not settle down so early. The suburbs are for old people!” the townspeople cried. “It’s too hard to be married when you have so many things left to experience!”
But the boy and the girl decided they would just experience the things everyone in their 20’s should experience, but they would experience them together. They traveled, they went to bars, they stayed out past their bedtime, they hung out with their old friends, and they made new friends. They even got drunk and locked themselves out of their pretty new house in a snowstorm. Yes, the boy and the girl lived up their 20’s even though they were married.
“Maybe this isn’t what married people are supposed to do,” the girl whispered to the boy.
But the boy just shrugged. “We’ll just have to wait and see…” he said.
After a year or so, the boy and the girl got tired of all that running around.
“Being young and fun is exhausting,” the girl said. “Let’s have a baby instead.”
“But we don’t know anything about babies,” the boy said.
“Well, we can learn,” the girl said.
“Okay,” said the boy.
So the boy and the girl had a beautiful baby boy. They named him Michael, and they spent their days staring at his toes and kissing on his cheeks and blubbering his tummy and they thought to themselves, “This isn’t so hard!”
But the townspeople shook their heads and whispered behind their backs, “Having a baby is very hard on a marriage. And they are so young to be parents!”
The boy and the girl heard their whispers and the girl said to the boy in the middle of a long, sleepless newborn night, “Do you think this is too hard for our marriage?”
“We’ll just have to wait and see…” said the boy.
Another year went by and the boy and the girl decided it was time to sell their pretty little house and move back closer to their family. So they packed up and headed south.
“Moving to a new place with a young family is very difficult,” the townspeople warned. “It will be very hard on your marriage.”
And for once, the townspeople were right! Moving WAS hard on their marriage.
“Is this too hard?” the boy asked the girl.
“I don’t know,” she said. “We’ll just have to wait and see…”
The boy and the girl battled many terrible dragons as they built their new life in this new land. They had to find jobs, health insurance, a safe place to live, and sometimes with all that responsibility pressing down on them, it was hard to remember to hold hands and make sure their feet found each other at night when they went laid down. And just as the boy and the girl began to feel like maybe the townspeople had been right all along, another tiny pink dragon came along. They named her Gracie.
“She is so perfect and I love her so much, but what are we ever going to do about our chaotic little lives?” cried the girl. “How will we ever get back to normal?”
“We’ll just have to wait and see…” said the boy.
Eventually, the boy and the girl slayed all those pesky dragons they were battling and life settled down a wee bit for them. But no matter how peaceful and normal things got, the girl could not be happy.
“I think I lost my smile,” she said to the boy.
“Then I will help you find it,” he replied.
But the townspeople just shook their head. “It is no use. This is too much change in too short of a period of time,” they said. “It is too hard on a marriage to balance a new life and a new family while you hunt for a smile. It will be too hard on your marriage.”
“Maybe,” the boy said. “We’ll just have to wait and see…”
The boy and the girl searched for many months trying to find her smile. They looked all over their old life back in the days before they moved to their new town. They looked all over their family. They looked all over their new jobs and friends and church. But they still could not find the smile. And then one day, it came back all of a sudden.
“I have been hiding right here inside your own marriage,” the smile said. “I’ve been waiting for you to hold hands and push forward like you used to do, or for your feet to find each other at night when you laid down. But you never thought to look for me inside your own marriage, and so I stayed hidden. I am so glad you finally remembered where your smiles live!”
And for once, the townspeople had nothing to say. Because who can argue with a smile?
Years went by and the boy and the girl grew older, and so did their babies. And their lives were marked by diaper bags and daycare and dinner together around a kitchen table. They moved into a new house and the boy said to the girl, “This will be our forever house.” And the girl agreed because forever houses are the best kind of houses.
And then one sunny day, the boy and the girl heard some terrible news. The girl’s dad had died, and their lives would never be the same. Such sadness filled their hearts. Such sorrow filled their lives. And in the darkest moments of grief, the girl would whisper to the boy, “Will we ever get through this?” And the boy held her hand, lowered his head, and sighed, “We’ll just have to wait and see…”
It was hard for the girl because she was so sad, and it was hard for the boy to see her so sad. But every day they woke up holding hands, and every night their feet found each other under the covers when they laid down. And when the sadness came, they put their arms around their children and each other and they waited.
And they waited.
And they waited.
And they waited.
But no matter how long they waited, they always found that when the storm had passed, they were still standing with their arms around each other.
One day the girl said to the boy, “You have never left my side. No matter what we have faced, you have stood right here next to me. My life is better because you hold my hand. My heart is full because you fill it with love. I don’t know how my life could be blessed any more than it already is by having you here with me.”
And the boy smiled and said to the girl, “We’ll just have to wait and see…”
61 Comments
Jen
I love this! So beautiful – the very definition of love.
Sherry
Long time reader, first time commenter. I loved this post so much and I just wanted to tell you that! You guys are awesome!
Maureen
I’ve been reading your blog since you two were expecting Bean, but have never commented. (The most imaginary of imaginary friends!) This post was beautiful, so very touching.
Ciara
So beautiful. This made me well up a little. I feel marriage gets a bad deal so often in the press. Totally lovely to read this tribute. Wishing you both so many more years of waiting and seeing.
Megahn
This is a beautiful post!!
Casey @ The Baker Bee
What a beautiful post… thanks for brightening up my morning!
Tiffany
Beautiful post. Beautiful family.
jennifer
Very sweet post Katie. You two are definitely made for one another.
Katy
WOW…such sweet, honest and real words!! Yours is a true love story…thanks for reminding all of us about what really is important in this crazy life!! May God continue to bless your marriage!!
Stacy
OMGosh, Katie! This post is so beautiful and inspiring! Forgive me for saying this, but I’m afraid that they just don’t make men like your husband and dad anymore? I’m so happy for you that you managed to find someone to even come close to living up to your wonderful dad! Oh i should mention I’ve been reading since before bean was born too!! Have a great day and keep your chin up! I’m so so sure your dad is very proud of the way you’ve handled his passing and also at peace w/ knowing you would be okay, because you have Chris!!!!
Layne
Great post. So sweet! Gracie and Bean will love reading this some day. Even if you do call Gracie a “little pink dragon!” 😉
Amy
Oh wow! I just had to click through my reader to tell you how beautiful this post is. As a newly married girl, thank you.
Heather C
I LOVE this! You, your family and your marriage are such an inspiration! You are blessed because you bless others! Thank you for this!!!!!
Debbie
Thanks, Katie for the great post. Your words spoke to my heart; I needed that this morning!
Miriam
What a great post Katie. Love all the way, weathering storms and making it through it all.
Mariya
I’m mad at you. You made me cry at work. :p
Chelsey
Long time reader-first time commenting. What a beautiful story Katie-you also made me cry at work!
Lindsay (Young Married Mom)
And then I cried. Thank you for a beautiful post. I have a friend facing a tough time right now, and my heart has felt heavy all day. It just got a little lighter 🙂
Kari
Beautiful post! You and Chris are a true testament to what it means to be together through good times and bad. I’m going through a difficult time in my marriage right now, but am trying to push through. I hope to be in a place like you and Chris are soon!
Kate
What a beautiful post, Katie. It touched my heart and made me teary. Strangely, my husband and I were just talking about how negative others can be toward other people. It seems that anytime we are positive toward something (we’re getting married!, we’re having a baby!, we love our daughter!) people have something negative to add, usually in a “joking” manner (Don’t do it! (haha), Well, enjoy your sleep while you can! (haha), Oh, just wait until she’s a teenager! (haha)) Why can’t others just share in another’s moment of joy?
El
Love this! You two are so sweet and perfect for each other!
Nicole T.
Favorite post. Favorite post, ever.
Jen
Sweetest post EVER!!
Melissa
What a beautiful post. Like others have said, it made me teary. It’s a lovely reminder of what it means to have a strong, God-filled marriage. Your posts always make me want to be a better wife, a better woman, and I thank you for that, Katie. I’ve learned so much from you.
Abbie
I just had to comment. I love the part about their feet finding each other every night. Sometimes, when life gets so hard and busy, it’s nice to know you (and I) have that to come home to. So sweet.
mindy
i love this. i feel like this is us now. we have been together for 15 years & for most of it our relationship has been so good. the last few years have been hard. i’ve lost my smile (not because of my husband though) and things are so different. but my husband is still by my side & is my rock. i could not have picked a better partner to go through this crazy life. life is still not 100%, but i think i am finding my smile again 🙂
Teresa W
Wonderful post, but I teared up when I saw the picture of your dad. I have been married 40 years to my husband. He has had two heart attacks and five stents. We don’t know what life has in store, but it is so great to have some one to share it with.
Dori
I’m also a first-time commenter, but long-time reader. As a young newlywed, I adored this sweet and honest love story. Thank you for sharing your heart!
Kathleen
Tearing up at work now. Katie, I’m a longtime lurker and have only commented once or twice, but I wanted to tell you that I know you’ve felt bad about writing so much about your dad’s passing… but I honestly think those are some of the best posts you’ve ever written. Thank you for sharing your story.
Alaina
This is so true. Reading this, I think of my husband and I and all we have gone through, standing by each other’s side. It is so worth it, and you two are so cute. Thank you for sharing this!
Chloe
And so this is marriage 🙂 x
Kat
Oh katie I just looooooove this!!!!!! I love it for so so so many reason – the voice, the funny, the sad, the happy, the everything in between. But the reason I love it most of all is because I feel like it’s a story about my life! We got married young (it’ll never last is what we heard….and still do….), we had kids young, we bought a house young….we’re trail blazers 😉
Courtney
Oh my, Katie. Oh my.
Sally
This is definitely a great post!! Love it~
Heather F
As some of the others have said, this is the first time I’ve commented, but I’ve been reading since before Bean was here. Just got married a few months ago, and while we haven’t yet lived together through all that you and Chris have, I know I’m already “better because he holds my hand.” Thanks for sharing your heart with us.
Stephanie @ Our Marriage Adventure
My marriage is struggling a LOT right now and I just want you to know how inspiring you and Chris are as a married couple.
Ashley @ According to Ashley
Great writing, Katie!! Love it!
Beth
I love this Katie, we heard all the same things. and we, too, always make sure our feet find each other at night. I just told Bruce last night I have to have at least one hand touching him or our feet touching before I can fall alseep at night.
Jennifer B
This is so beautiful! It made me tear up. I love your blog and my Husband and I refer to you as our little internet family 🙂
Michelle @ Our Life Down Unda
that was BEAUTIFUL!!!! I just love it!!!!
laurenbtrain
The blog townspeople say that this officially ranks as one of our favorite Katie posts ever! love!
Elle
Truly the most beautiful blog post I have ever read.
Jen @ Ginger Guide
What a great post about what a marriage truly is. Love this!
Paula S.
AWESOME post! I’ve been married for 10 years and God has blessed me by helping me have faith, hope and trust in the Lord for my marriage. It has been a rough 10 years, but I am so thankful we have stuck it out….glad you guys have too!
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PK
So sweet. I love it!
Colleen
this post is amazing! love it so much it made me cry! I blame pregnancy 🙂
Laura
Nine years ago today my high school sweetheart and I began dating. We’ve been happily married for seven years now, and survived many ups and downs. This was such a beautiful post for me to read today! Thank you for continuing to share your life and giving hope to young married couples!
Ann G-B
Aww! I love this!
Judy
I love this. So well written! I will be leaving soon for my girlfriend and her husband’s 25th wedding anniversary party. This is what it is all about.
Robin
I read between the lines there is another blessing on the way to make the boy and girl smile even more…..that is the “We’ll just have to wait and see” a few months to share the news 🙂
Carlene
I love your anniversary posts, the get me all sentimental and ready for my anniversary. We got married on October 16 at the Pensacola Little Theatre, and I was only 21. Its like you read my mind!
holly (your BIGGEST - not fattest- fan)
gosh dang you and your awesomeness. i am going to have to copy you now on my anniversary 🙂
ashley @ A Recipe for Sanity
Yay! Love this.
Angela
Long time reader, but I’ve never commented. I just HAD to this time to let you know this is your best post, yet. So inspirational and so uplifting. Love your writing – love you!
Peggy
Great post! I stepped back to reflect on my own marriage (24 yeras today) and how lucky I am to have a wonderful husband!
Me
Wow!!! What a post!!! Brought tears to my eyes. I hope that some day I find my “boy” and we can prove everyone wrong! Way to go guys!
Kathy
So inspiring! Me and mine will be celebrating 25 years in a couple of days. It’s been quite the journey – mine fields, frozen tundra, barrenness, along with sprinkles of smiles and shared giggles. God is good, regardless. May He bless you with many more toe touching, hand holding moments.
Calypso
Precious.. sweet pictures.. some of them didn’t come through for me though…
Chantelle
Oh, Katie. This made me cry – what a beautiful way to tell your story! This is how to really be in a marriage. Congratulations on your anniversary!
Amanda H
CHILLS!! You write so beautifully.