Happy Anniversary To Us

Posted byFractured Faith BlogPosted inA Fractured FaithTags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Fionnuala and I don’t get out much but last night we went for a Chinese meal and, afterwards, the cinema to watch the new ‘Lion King.’ Okay, the girls were with us but that’s part of the fun of family life. Just getting out of the house and being able to do stuff together sure beats the ‘ships that pass in the night’ lifestyle that many couples are forced to live, due to the various pressures of modern day society.

Fionnuala and I have been together for 23 years today. There have been many ups and downs along the way. We don’t propose to be the perfect, airbrushed ‘Christian’ couple that so many seek to portray on social media these days. We laugh, we fight, we are who we are and we are real. What you see is what you get with us, warts and all. The good times and the bad. We won’t plaster on fake smiles and tell you ‘everything is fine’ when it’s clearly not.

I drive Fionnuala and the kids insane with my forgetful, awkward, geeky lifestyle. If there’s a wrong way to do something, I will find it. I’m my own worst enemy and I often leave my wife shaking her head in despair at the idiot she married. The woman who took pity on me and has stuck with me through thick and thin, who supported and encouraged me, when so many others turned their backs and slammed the door in my face.

Fionnuala is kind and loving, always willing to help others even when she knows the favour will never be returned. She is practical, yet creative, sensible, yet full of brilliant, inspirational ideas that I would never think of in a year of Sundays. She is beautiful inside and out, always prepared to put herself at the back of the queue. She is the glue that binds us all together, even if it involves a fair bit of shouting and the occasional expletive.

There would be no blog without Fionnuala, there would be no book, there would probably be no Stephen. I don’t say it enough but I love her very much and will always be grateful for everything she has done for me and the kids. She deserves the very best, which is what I am working towards, slowly inching closer every day. We will get there, the five of us, of that I am certain. Happy Anniversary Fionnuala, I love you very much xx

Published by Fractured Faith Blog

We are Stephen and Fionnuala and this is our story. We live in Northern Ireland, have been married for 17 years and have three kids - Adam, Hannah and Rebecca. We hope that our story will inspire and encourage others. We have walked a rocky road yet here we are today, together and stronger than ever. We are far from perfect and our faith has been battered and bruised. But an untested faith is a pointless faith. Just as a fractured faith is better than none at all. We hope you enjoy the blog.

77 thoughts on “Happy Anniversary To Us”

  1. Happy Anniversary, Stephen and Fionnuala! May your marriage continue to be the testimony God intended it to be for all those who witness your union.
    God loves you both!

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  4. Congratulations and Happy Anniversary! What a wonderful tribute to the power of love and the amazing results when the sum is greater than the individual parts.

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  7. Congratulations & Happy Anniversary. I think it’s ordinary Christians living out their lives in ordinary ways, but reflecting God’s love that are the best “advert” – not obviously false airbrushed lives where everything runs smoothly. Life can be wonderful, life canj be shitty – it’s how you face up to this and deal with it that shows your commitment to God and to each other.

    By the way, I much prefer this new outlay for the blog. Quicker to load and so much easier to read.

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  19. Happy Anniversary, you guys! What a wonderful tribute to your wife! Appreciation of each other is the key to good marriages. Wishing you a joyful day, and many, many years of togetherness and love. May God continue to bless you and yours.

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  21. That was such a lovely blog Stephen. Happy Anniversary to both of you. I’ve never met either of you in person but the love you have for each other shines through constantly and I feel blessed to know you both ❤

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  36. Congratulations! I don’t think there could possibly be a better, more honest or more loving tribute to a good marriage. Blessing to both of you!

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