One day in December at about 2:30 am, our family went through what most people would call a tragedy- the death of our daughter, Jessica.  Just shortly after midnight, we had pulled our van onto I-75 heading south for a wedding.  Not long after we left we encountered snow.  I remember thinking “if we can get just a little farther down the road, this snow will be behind us.”  However, the snow continued to fall and the roads began to get slippery.

Before I was married someone warned me “Marriage is hard.”   I understood that it meant the blending of two families and how their past and traditions won’t always mesh with mine.  I also understood that sometimes I would have to put their wishes before my own and I knew the importance of communication.   However, I wasn’t prepared for the serious marriage issues that were in store for us.   

For better for worse, in sickness and in health, ‘till death do us part”…words familiar to all of us; words we’ve either pledged ourselves, or witnessed others pledge.  Words I took seriously and believed both my husband and I meant when we joyously wed each other.  A covenant was made to each other, in the presence of many witnesses; but more importantly a covenant made before God.  We were both committed Christians, both believing that God had brought us together for a lifetime.