Testing Our Newlywed Strength by Amanda Kerl
My husband and I got married September 10, 2011. It was the best day either of us could have asked for, and a day we will never forget. It was the day I married my best friend. The day I married the man I would go through life’s ups and downs with. Although we’d been together for almost 7 years by the time we got married it seemed that God wanted to test our strength as a newly married couple right from the start.
Two weeks after our wedding my husband got laid off from his job. He struggled for 10 months to find a new one, and even now it’s not what he’d like to be doing but he does it for the income and the comfort that he’s contributing to our finances. In the meantime, we continue to find him a job he will enjoy doing and is a little closer to home (he’s driving about an hour one way right now).
In March of 2012 my grandmother passed away. This woman was a very strong role model for me, and showed me what family really is all about. She and my grandpa were blessed with 13 children during their 65 year marriage. She was truly an amazing woman and is deeply missed by her husband, 11 living children, 20+ grandchildren, and 10+ great-grandchildren.
In May of 2012 my husband woke early one morning as I was breathing very strangely. I was moving and speaking, although incoherently, he was still unable to wake me up. After a trip to the hospital that night and a meeting with a neurologist soon after, they determined I had experienced a seizure and I was diagnosed with epilepsy. In the few months after the seizure I was also diagnosed as pre-diabetic and it was also confirmed I suffer from sleep apnea. They believe my sleep apnea triggered my seizure that night in May. The diagnosis of epilepsy is something that took a long time for me to accept. In the 6 months after my diagnosis I did more research myself and continually speak with my neurologist so I feel more comfortable with it and feel better about my treatment plans.
Our first year of marriage has really been challenging for both of us, individually and as a couple. We both struggled with the loss of his job, the loss of my grandma, and my health issues that seemed to just keep coming for a while, but looking back on the year I find so much I have to be thankful for.
I’m thankful for the fantastic doctors and nurses that made the last days of my grandma’s life comfortable and settling for her. They kept to her wishes about her care, and as a family we are thankful to them for helping all of us during a very difficult time.
My family has always been able to get together, no matter the occasion, and everyone always gets along. There has never been a single fight at a family gathering, and I don’t think there will ever be one. Both sides of my family are a blessing to me, and have molded me to the woman I am today, and for that I’m thankful. My in-laws are also a big part of my life. I’m thankful I have them and that they made my husband into the man I know and love today.
I’m thankful to have a steady full time job, although at times it’s really difficult to want to stay. Working in over-the-phone customer service for people who are hard of hearing or deaf definitely has its challenging days, but when people are happy with the service they receive from me they are so grateful and it helps me to remember why I stay.
Most of all I’m thankful for my husband, Randy. Since 2004 he’s been my rock and my best friend and I don’t know what I’d do without him. I’m thankful he’s able to help with maintaining our house and vehicles but is also able to do things he enjoys, like hunting and fishing. He’s helped me with my health issues since they started and has been completely unwavering. He remembers things I don’t, is always on my side, and never a morning goes by where he doesn’t kiss me goodbye before he leaves for work. He’s a good man, and I’m so lucky and thankful I have him by my side. I’m also thankful he’s taller than me so he’s able to get things for me off high shelves. 🙂
Amanda Kerl lives in Wisconsin with her husband, Randy. She’s also my step-daughter, and a joy to know!
Top image provided by Amanda Kerl/bio image by Julie Arduini
