Eleven: The Significance

As I was preparing to write the entry about the details, I was curious on the significance (traditional hetero "marriage" significance) of the eleventh year.
I am not going to write on the details that led us to this part of the journey. Let's just say that a universal two by four, some serious introspection on all parts, some serious hard work, and the over used and over worked term "love" (which is real and tangible if you allow it to come in instead of searching it out)- have played significant roles in getting us to eleven.
If any of you have walked this journey with us- fully or in part- you will understand the irony in eleven.

STEEL=ELEVEN*
On the surface, the symbol of the eleventh anniversary stands for domestic prowess. After all, steel is found throughout the home, in kitchen sinks and appliances, bathroom faucets, window frames, and even roofs. Steel, an alloy of iron and carbon, speaks of strength of a good partnership. Stainless steel, rustproof and resistant to corrosion, exemplifies notions of permanency and durability.
On a deeper level, grace, as strength, derives from steel: the union of iron and carbon gives steel unique musical qualities.

I don't usually ascribe to these notions of annual significance. Hell, we don't even have an actual date, we just pick a good weekend in November and celebrate. On our trip, we bought the chime (recall, if you read the Eleven: The Details. Was it coincidence? I don't really believe in that anymore. I believe that we were both drawn to something that signified where we are; big and bright, and strong and resilient to the harshest of weather, and something that rings out to the world a tone of something deeper, something richer, something great.

We are at eleven and beyond. Grace and gratitude abound.

"the music i heard with you was more than music
and the
bread i broke with you was more than bread."
- conrad aiken

*The Meaning of Wedding Anniversaries by Gretchen Scoble