Adventurers

Audrey Rae, Braxton, and #3 (Who we’ve finally chosen a name for, but not ready to make public…yet…) –

Yesterday, your mom and I celebrated our seventh year of marriage. For seven years (and even before that), your mother and I have supported one another in love, in life, and most importantly, in Christ. Though we had to work on it (and occasionally still do), we face life every day as a team.

Now, Braxton, I’ve already written a letter to you about marriage, and the work of a team. I did what I could to explain to you how marriage isn’t meant to be a “perfect” union, that there’s no such thing as “the one”. But I also think I may have accented a bit more of the “work” in the teamwork. I look back and see a lot of talk about chores and jobs and whatnot.

I’m not a man who struggles to admit when he’s made a mistake, and I admit that may have made a mistake in the way that I described marriage in that letter. Not that marriage isn’t teamwork, it most certainly is, and what I described in the letter is definitely true, but I may have made it sound more like work than it actually is.

Son, girls, marriage is an adventure.

I hope that word ignites as much excitement in you as it does in your mother and me. “Adventure” is like a resounding gong to the nerds of the world. When we hear it ring, all ears perk up, all faces turn, and we know that something good is coming.

But as much exhilaration as adventure brings, we only need to look at the tales of fantasy lore to see that adventure is not about all of life’s problems being magically solved. No adventure was joined to “complete” the companions, or to have the team live a life problem free.

Gandalf did not call Bilbo to make either life posh. No Dr. Who was ever joined with a companion so they could live happily ever after. The Justice League was not formed so that their lives would be “fixed”. No one ever created a character in D&D to roleplay the perfect, stress free home life. (I hope upon hope that you understood all of those references. If not, I will consider myself a sub-par father).

No adventure was started without the goal of facing challenges.

Kids, that is what marriage is. It’s finding the perfect companion to face life’s challenges with. Together, you will draw your bow and wield your axe. You and your spouse will fly to one another’s rescue time and time again. As life’s troubles swoop upon you, you’ll have one another to stand firm against the trials.

Adventures begin because together, you are stronger than you are apart.

Every day, your mom and I face life unified. We are the protagonists in our story, our very own fellowship.

We live our adventure together.

I hope that someday, you find someone to live your adventure with.

Love you guys.

1 Corinthians 1:4-
Dad