Tuesday, April 1, 2014

A is for All In

If you're looking for this week's Hodgepodge questions, keep reading. 

Today marks the beginning of this year's A-Z Blog Challenge. For those of you who don't know what that means, you'll find the details here, or you can click the badge on my sidebar. In a nutshell, you blog every day (except Sundays) during the month of April, using the alphabet as your guide. This will be my fourth year in the A-Z, and I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every one. This little exercise helps jump start my writing after a sluggish winter.

A theme is not required, but I have always had a theme. I may be the queen of random here on a weekly basis, but for a challenge like this one I need focus. In 2011 I wrote about our travels far and wide. In 2012 I managed to turn a two week jaunt around Asia into 26 posts, and in 2013 it was all about motherhood. So what is my theme in 2014?

Married With Children

Now for the rest of the story...this summer hubs and I will celebrate 30 years of married life, and I think I want to talk about that. I have two daughters in their early 20's who hope to be married one day, and I see this as an opportunity to share my thoughts on a topic that in today's culture is often viewed with negativity or considered old-fashioned, cliche, or just not that big of a deal.

Hi Girls!

Marriage is a big deal.

Love, Mom

As an aside here, I'm going to blog about my experiences, things I've learned in being married, and a few things I hope my daughters will think about and carry into their own marriages one day. Everyone has their story, and this is where I share mine.

There will likely be pictures, because I like pictures and an excuse to talk about them. I may end up writing some posts in the form of letters to my daughters or I may not. Some bloggers already have all their A-Z posts written and ready to publish before the challenge even begins, but I'm not one of them. I like to write two or three days ahead, but I tend to be more of a figure it out as we go along kind of blogger, so strap in...anything is possible.

Before we begin I have to laugh about this first letter. I wrote my post and sometime later was chatting with my daughter about her A-Z. When I asked her what her word for A was going to be she said, 'All In'. Great minds people!

Here we go...
A is for All In

When I think back to being young and in love, an unknown future and all the days in between still lying somewhere way out yonder in the stratosphere, this is the expression that comes to mind.

All in.

Because I think when you get married you have to be. That little phrase is the starting block you dive from as you navigate the sometimes calm, sometimes turbulent waters of matrimony. It's the base from which you handle all the wonderful terrible hard delightful unexpected predictable things that most assuredly will be coming your way until death do you part.


You can't be some of the way in, or part way in, or mostly in, because when you're not all in it's too easy to get out.

Hi Girls!

Be all in.

Love, Mom

16 comments:

  1. I 100% agree! Take the getting out option off the table at the start. Learning to pull together is an amazing thing.

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  2. Amen! Good advice in a world with too much conscious uncoupling and even more unconscious coupling.

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  3. So excited to read all your posts this month! Still laugh about our little post title coincidence. Happy first day of April. xox

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  4. I think this is going to be good Joyce. I'm hoping I can talk my girls into reading it too. Cute picture above and congrats on almost 30 years.

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  5. A wonderful first AtoZ post!
    Regards

    Jim

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  6. Oh, I LOVE this theme! Can't wait to read this month's posts!

    Amen, Sister, ALL IN! It's the only way to go into marriage!

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  7. Joyce, I love this thought, especially in a day when too many people go into marriage with the idea that if it doesn't work out they can always get a divorce. Looking forward to "B."
    Blessings,
    Linda

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  8. I am not participating, but I will certainly look forward to your posts A to Z!!

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  9. 30 years!! Awesome. I am a newlywed ( 6 months) and love stories like this is always inspiring. This is a quite a challenge though and not sure i could do it! Good luck.

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  10. This is a fabulous theme! ALL IN and then some!

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  11. Joyce, you're off to a great start with the A-Z Challenge! I love the theme you've chosen, and I can't wait to read your other posts.
    By the way, "Be all in" is great advice to couples contemplating marriage. Way too many couples enter marriage on a 'trial basis', these days!

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  12. I am not married yet. I am not ready to "be all in."

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  13. Excellent advice. Unfortunately too many today aren't "all in".

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