Today is our 13th wedding anniversary. Thirteen-years. Wow! Twenty years ago, even fifteen years ago, if you would have told me that I would be celebrating my 13th anniversary this year, and that I’d be happily married, I would have looked at you like you were crazy. But, here we are celebrating 13 years of marriage, and we are really, I mean really excited about what’s in store for our marriage in the future! I can say that my wife and I have a healthy marriage and a lasting love.
Our imperfect marriage
That doesn’t mean our relationship has been perfect. It started out very much imperfect, and has continued along that path. We are imperfect people in an imperfect relationship, and sometimes that’s what makes it even more special.
The card I gave my wife for our anniversary does a good job of summing it up…
“The day we promised for better or worse, there was no way we could have known what that would mean….whether things are running smoothly or a little crazy…everything will be okay…it means that our love is real, we’re here for each other, and we’re in this together — for better, for worse, for always.”
Although we have been in the “fire” throughout our marriage, we’ve now come to realize that all of what we have gone through wasn’t just for us. The experiences we had, the challenges we have faced, and the different stages in marriage we’ve gone through are more common than not in marriages.
A desire for a marriage that lasts
Through it all we discovered that we have a real passion for marriage, and not just ours. We want every other imperfect marriage to grow to a healthy marriage. We want every other married couple to experience lasting love.
So, we have created a project that will help your marriage and other marriages get there. It is called the 7 Rings of Marriage, and it takes couples from where they are today to the most mature and healthy stages in marriage.
If you have been reading my writing here on Adam’s site, or on my blog, you may be familiar with the 7 Rings, as I have written about some of the rings before. Now, we are determined to uncover what makes healthy and mature marriages that last.
This uncovering will come from further unpacking our marriage journey, unpacking the journey of regular couples like us and you, as well as learning from marriage experts who have been through it all, seen it all, and have helped other couples do the same.
How you can have a healthy marriage and lasting love
If you are a couple that desires to experience all 7 Rings of Marriage, resulting in a healthy marriage and lasting love, then this project is for you.
If you are the couple who has experienced all 7 Rings of Marriage, and whose experience can help others do the same, then this project is for you.
If you think there is a possibility you will get married, or remarried, one day, then this project is for you.
Exactly what we need
We need more and more marriages that last, and more and more couples who really love their marriages. We plan to do this with three primary resources:
- The 7 Rings of Marriage web show (Summer 2014) – A FREE web show where my wife and I will interview other couples who’ve experienced one or all of the 7 Rings. We are hand selecting couples who have a heart for marriage, and are already helping other couples grow in their marriages.
- The 7 Rings of Marriage curriculum (end of 2014/beginning 2015) – Marriage courses designed to help you discover where your marriage is today, and how to grow your marriage to where you desire it to be — healthy and happy. The curriculum will be designed based on research, feedback, and real-life experiences of couples who’ve had successes in these specific areas.
- The 7 Rings of Marriage book (Spring 2015) – This book will take our marriage story, and the stories of the couples we interview online and offline and bring them together in a way that will encourage, inspire, and help marriages at whatever stage they are at.
Marriages today are in an unhealthy state
Marriages today are in an unhealthy state, and it’s time to change that. When marriages change, our children and families will be changed, and as a result our communities will also change.
The 7 Rings is how we plan to contribute to this change. To be a part of this change click here to sign up and get notified when the web show launches, to get more info on the curriculum, and learn more about the book.
You will also have an opportunity to participate in our research, which will help us create the best resources tailored to you and for your marriage.
When you sign up we will send you an infographic which details each of the 7 Rings, and you can use this tool to see where your marriage is today. Let’s get back to making marriage a priority, and making our marriages last.
asmithblog says
When you understand that relationships are for giving and not for taking, perspective changes on what love is. That has helped our marriage last.
Jackie Bledsoe, Jr. says
Yes, indeed!