Seven year itch...

Sometimes, I don't think we use all of our lifes best lessons when entering into a marriage. Or possibly any relationship. Why are we kinder, more polite, use better manners with strangers and co-workers? Why do we worry more about what people see on the walls outside of our homes or in our yards than what is happening inside? Why do we forget to focus on that person or the ideal that we spent so much time on in the beginning? If relationships are for grown-ups, how come sometimes when we are in one we forget to act like it?
Today is my seven year anniversary. We got married during Lent, therefore we were not allowed to have flowers in the church. We also had to get married on a Friday night and be able to be out before Stations of the Cross. We were so excited to get married that we did not let these things deter us from our common goal of marriage and hopefully starting a family. As I stood in church today surrounded by the flowers and the message of new beginnings I reflected on the day seven years ago where I was joined in hand and by heart to the person I felt was my new beginning.
Seven years. I could have run for office as well as re-election at this point. Unfortunately, I'm not being re-elected. Like a politician I am determined to smile and make the most of it. Shake hands, kiss my babies. (Even though they are not babies anymore, they will always be mine.) I won't be retired to the sunny state of California or even my home state of Indiana. But I'm OK with that. This is my life and I will make the most of it.