Answering God’s Call: Mark & Amy Gruber and Family

This is the seventh in our series on Christian vocation.

“I will love and honor you all the days of my life, until death.” We said these words to each other 25 years ago with minimal comprehension of their true meaning. Each day of our marriage journey brings a little more clarity to these vows. They are the glue that holds our marriage commitment together. In the hustle and bustle of our daily life together it is easy to take each other for granted, to give minimal effort to our relationship. We try to show our love for each other by openly communicating, respecting feelings and being patient and understanding.

In the scheme of all of life’s possibilities, we have traveled through these years with joys outweighing challenges. We try to be aware that the joys and blessings we have been given are not there randomly but are intentionally placed in our path by the awesome love of God in our marriage. We have two healthy, wonderful children, a roof over our heads, and jobs that fulfill and support us. When difficulties arise we look to our heavenly Father for guidance and comfort. We know we are not alone.

When we were preparing to be married the priest who was counseling us shared some important advice that we try to honor in our marriage to this day. He asked us to always surround ourselves with people who support their commitment to the sacrament of marriage. Because of this advice, we have consciously made choices in our life to make our marriage a priority. Epiphany has been a wonderful source of support in this area. We have planned and attended the yearly marriage masses and retreats, participated as mentors in the marriage preparation program and have been a part of a marriage enrichment group for 20 years.

We hope that our marriage serves as a model for others, especially our children.

Mark and Amy Gruber