marriage "batter"

yesterday the hubby and i had a small tiff. i only mention this in my blog since it is such a rare occasion that i must take advantage of it when i can ;) i do love it when things like this are rare though. its a blessing with the mask torn off and the face-paint gone. no disguse there.

but our tiff. what got me is that when it came down to the nitty-gritty of the disagreement we realized that we simply missed each others' company in the chaos of everyday life. since we have gotten back to the "underway routine" we realize more fully the importance of enjoying the time we have and filling it as full as possible. which sometimes means doing absolutely nothing at all, so long as it is together. somehow though, life does not always compliment this. in fact, as most of us know, it actually compounds the problem before it offers the opportunity for agreement.

what i have gathered about marriage from this scafuffle is this:

marriage is a batter. an ongoing project that consumes the whole day and the "chef-iz" (as my 4-year-old calls it) doing the work. the most obvious of ingredients for many are work, school and childcare (for those with kids). along the way we might pick up some rush-hour drama, sibling-rivalry stress, customer complaints and even pushing monetary demands. on the upside we are blessed to gather God's grace, best-friend compliments, a good snuggle on the side and some highly-desired childish affections. and some of my favorites being the kisses on the run, goal-accomplished highs, playful banter and squealing high-fives.

its what happens when you come together at the end of the day to bake what you have gathered that makes the difference. some days you might get brownies, other days a flat pan of unleavened bread. but what makes a marriage great is the willingness to consume what lies ahead with those people you love and still be able to say "i love you" in the end. even when all that is served is unleavened bread.