TWENTY-SEVEN REASONS I WOULD MARRY LAURA ALL OVER AGAIN

Laura didn’t just marry me twenty-seven years ago. She married every version of me that came after that day.

She married the man who stood beside her on our wedding day, never knowing what the next 27 years would ask of us.

She didn’t know about the years of health battles that would follow.

She didn’t know about the diagnoses, the hospital rooms, the surgeries, the treatments, the frightening moments, the uncertainty, the tears, the prayers, or the nights when we wondered what tomorrow would look like.

She didn’t know there would be moments when life would completely change in ways neither of us could have imagined.

She didn’t know she’d sometimes have to watch the man she married struggle to do things he once took for granted.

She didn’t know there would be seasons when simply getting through the day would be an accomplishment.

She didn’t know how many times we’d have to trust God when we didn’t understand what He was doing.

But she stayed.

Not because it was easy.

Not because she had to.

Not because she had any guarantee that our story would be comfortable.

She stayed because she loved me.

And through 27 years, Laura has walked with me through some of the highest mountains and deepest valleys of my life.

She has seen me at my strongest.

She has seen me at my weakest.

She has seen the tears I didn’t want anyone else to see.

She has seen the fears I didn’t always know how to put into words.

She has watched me fight battles I never asked to fight.

And somehow, after all these years, she still reaches for my hand.

That kind of love is difficult to explain.

It’s not the kind of love you find in a greeting card.

It’s not the kind of love that only shows up when everything is beautiful.

It’s the kind of love that gets down in the trenches.

The kind that stays when the future is uncertain.

The kind that says, “We’re going to get through this together.”

And that’s why, on our 27th wedding anniversary, I have been thinking about one very simple question:

If I could go back to that day 27 years ago, knowing everything I know now, would I marry Laura again?

There isn’t even a question.

A thousand times yes.

Here are 27 reasons why I would marry my bride all over again:

1. Because she loved me before she ever knew what this journey would cost her.

2. Because she stayed when life got incredibly hard. She didn’t sign up for the health battles, hospital stays, disappointments, or uncertainty. But she stayed.

3. Because she has loved me at my strongest and at my weakest.

4. Because she has seen the parts of me that I don’t always like and somehow still chooses me.

5. Because she has never stopped believing there was more life ahead of us, even when I couldn’t see it myself.

6. Because she knows how to make me laugh when I need it most.

7. Because she has stood beside me through some of the darkest valleys of my life.

8. Because she has celebrated the mountaintops with me without forgetting what it took to get there.

9. Because she has taught me that love isn’t just something you say. It is something you do.

10. Because she has sacrificed more than I will ever be able to fully understand.

11. Because she has given me grace when I needed grace.

12. Because she has challenged me when I needed challenging.

13. Because she knows the man behind the public words, the posts, the music, and the ministry—and loves that man too.

14. Because she has walked beside me through seasons when neither of us knew what tomorrow would bring.

15. Because she has never required me to be perfect to be loved.

16. Because she has made our house a home.

17. Because she has reminded me that sometimes the greatest miracles aren’t dramatic. Sometimes they’re simply waking up beside the person you love for another day.

18. Because she has shared my crazy dreams—even the ones that probably sounded completely insane.

19. Because she has prayed with me, prayed for me, and carried things to God when I didn’t have the words.

20. Because she has loved me through changes I never expected my life to bring.

21. Because after 27 years, she is still the person I want beside me when something wonderful happens—and the person I want beside me when everything falls apart.

22. Because she has shown me that commitment means staying when staying isn’t easy.

23. Because she has given me memories I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.

24. Because she has helped me become a better man—not by trying to change who I am, but by loving me enough to call me higher.

25. Because after everything we’ve walked through, I don’t just love her. I respect her, admire her, and thank God for her.

26. Because if I had the chance to live these 27 years again, I wouldn’t change the destination. I’d choose the same woman.

And…

27. Because she’s Laura.

She’s my bride.

My best friend.

My partner.

My safe place.

The woman who has walked through fire with me.

The woman who has seen the broken pieces and stayed.

The woman who has laughed with me, cried with me, prayed with me, dreamed with me, and somehow continues to choose me.

Twenty-seven years ago, I stood beside her and made a promise.

Today, I would make that same promise again.

Laura, if I could go back to the beginning, knowing everything I know now, knowing how hard some of the roads would become, knowing how many tears we’d shed, knowing how many times we’d have to lean on God and on each other…

I WOULD STILL CHOOSE YOU.

Without hesitation.

Without reservation.

Without changing a thing.

And if God gives us another 27 years, I hope I get to spend every single one of them reminding you how incredibly grateful I am that you said “I do.”

Happy 27th Anniversary, my beautiful bride.

I married you 27 years ago.

I would marry you again today.

And if I had it to do all over again…

I’d find you.
I’d choose you.
I’d marry you.
All over again.

I love you, Laura.

Happy 27th Anniversary. ❤️

~OC