Celebrating 11 Years Of Marital Bliss

On October 24th my husband and I will celebrate 11 years of marriage together....the traditional gift for this anniversary is steel and I have to believe that our marriage is made of steel in order to have made it to 11 years. When you look at the definition of steel and compare it with a marriage, it makes complete sense and it describes our marriage perfectly.

Why is a marriage compared to steel?

"Iron and steel are used widely in the construction of roads, railways, infrastructure, and buildings. Most large modern structures, such as stadiums and skyscrapers, bridges, and airports, are supported by a steel skeleton."

The comparison of a marriage to steel represents the solid foundation that two people should build their relationship on. Large structures are given a solid start by having at the very least a steel frame and marriages should to have a solid foundation in order to succeed.

"Two distinguishing factors are steel's increased rust-resistance and better weldability."

This made me smile when I read it in the definition of steel. What a great representation for a marriage - rust-proof and good weldability. I think that long term marriages have weathered so many storms together and when something metal sits out in too many storms it can easily rust....unless it is made of steel. And weldability makes me think of the bond that forms in a relationship throughout the years.

Can't a marriage weaken over time?

"There are many types of heat treating processes available to steel. The most common are annealing and quenching and tempering.

Annealing is the process of heating the steel to a sufficiently high temperature to soften it. This process occurs through three phases: recovery, recrystallization, and grain growth.

Quenching and tempering first involves heating the steel to the austenite phase, then quenching it in water or oil. This rapid cooling results in a hard and brittle martensitic structure.

The steel is then tempered, which is just a specialized type of annealing. In this application the annealing (tempering) process transforms some of the martensite into cementite or spheroidite to reduce internal stresses and defects, which ultimately results in a more ductile and fracture-resistant metal."

What a great look at how a marriage is tested over time! I think of a relationship heating up as result of an argument and how it can soften the relationship making it weak. Some arguments need a little recovery time, some arguments can be resolved quickly, some issues make your relationship stronger and some transform your relationship into something new.

So as we approach our 11th year of marriage I have to believe that our relationship is strong like steel - we have weathered so many storms together, we have practically grown up together and we have a bond that will never be broken, our love has transformed over the years and yes there have been moments when our relationship was weakened, but we came back stronger than before.

I thank God for having Randy in my life, I don't even want to imagine what my life would have been like had I ever given up, he is my best friend, he looks out for my best interests, he takes care of me, he is an amazing father, and he is the hardest working person that I know. He inspires me to be the best person I can be and I know, I will always know, that he stands by me 100%.

I have always said that two things that are key components to a good relationship are communication and trust.....he's a boy, so the communication part is always a work in progress, but I know that I can 100% trust him and that my friends is the thing about steel - when you have a foundation made out of steel, you know that you can trust it to withstand hundreds of years of storms.