Happy Anniversary: To “The Love of My Life”

The Year was 1995

Once upon a time there was a boy and a girl. This boy and girl became great friends in a short amount of time. They met through mutual friends/family. She was married, and he became involved with her family member. Never seeing each other as anything more than friends, they were able to have a real friendship. Unfortunately, this friendship faded due to her moving out of the area. Many years would pass before their paths would cross again. And when that happened, Both of their lives changed forever.

Fast Forward to 2009. 

“Just Friends”

This handsome man you see in this photo is my husband. A man who has been there through the good, the bad, and the ugly. I have shared with him, all of my destructive behavior, and he has seen plenty of it first hand. When he reentered my life after a fifteen year break, I had no job, no car, and no home to call my own. Not to mention I was in yet another dead end relationship. I seen myself, literally at the bottom of the barrel. As my friend, he seen more in me than I ever have myself.

After a few months of reconnecting, and sharing my deepest darkest secrets with this man, I had a strong feeling he loved me in a completely different way than he should have. I could see it in his eyes when he would come to hang out, and not want to leave. I was just not interested in that type of relationship with him. He was too good of a friend, and honestly, too good of a person for me. All I could think was,  # he was not my type, # he had been in a relationship with someone close to me and it was not worth that person hating me, or thinking less of me. # If we tried to date, and it did not work out, because for me it never does, then where does that leave us? # He was ( and still is) very deep into his Christian faith, which scared me, because I would be required to be on my best behavior at all times.

I could go on and on with all the reasons why I thought I KNEW it would never work out.

But then………

Christmas was right around the corner. I had no income, therefore I had no way to supply my children with gifts, or even a tree. When I had put myself in the situation of being homeless, I had left all of our Christmas decor in our previous home. A lot was going on during that time, and I had just simply forgot to get them from the storage building during the move.

Weeks before Christmas, this man gave me a gift…… The gift of allowing me to do something for my children. As I am sure with most mothers, the way to my heart is through my children. If a man is willing to go out of his way to make a child, any child happy, that shows character. Character that I desperately needed in my life.

He called me one night after he had gotten off work and said he had left something for me outside. At first I found it very strange that he would leave me something outside instead of just coming inside and giving it to me. As I walk out, I see a Christmas card sitting on the porch. When I opened the card, cash fell to the ground. It took seconds to realize why he had been so sneaky. He did not want to give me the opportunity to turn away his gift. That action certainly soften my heart for him. It showed me what a wonderful friend I had, who was willing to give all he had, just to make sure MY children had something from their mother for Christmas. But that was not the action that made me fall in love with him. That came weeks later, right before Christmas.

I will never forget the way my heart felt when he came in lugging a big ole’ box containing a white Christmas Tree. Another trip to his truck, was to retrieve the prettiest blue ornaments that my eyes had ever seen, A loan from his mother.

The way this man was from day one with my children was fascinating to me. Not to mention the love and friendship he had for me, an undeserving, sinful, wretched soul. He went out of his way, physically and financially, to make sure we had a Merry Christmas. To me, it was the most romantic thing anyone has ever done. The smiles that ran across the faces of those children gave me the most satisfaction that I had in years.

Right then and there, I seen this man in a different light. I seen the complete heart of him. He did not want anything in return. Blessing us with something as simple as a Christmas tree, was a blessing to him as well. I juggling the thought of he and I as more than friends around in my head.

With a push from a friend, his mother, and the go ahead from the family member whom he had a previous relationship, I told this man I wanted to be his and only his. At midnight, On December 31st, 2009, we rang the New Year in as a couple.                                                          

                                                                                                         

After a two year relationship, I am proud to say, this man became my husband.  Four years ago today, he made my dream,To be married to my Best Friend, a reality. Someone I could be Myself around. Someone who accepted me and all of my crazy with an open heart. Four years ago today, This man not only took on the role as Step-dad to my children, but became daddy to my youngest. That alone was a gift in his eyes. When we were married, She came to him and asked him if she could call him daddy, and of course he was honored.

This Love story does not end there. In fact it is more in bloom now, than it was when it started. We have been together six years this December, and the amount of love that we share is something that can not be explained. He has the up-most respect for me. More love than I deserve. He is the type of man that I want my daughters to be with, and the type of man I want my boys to learn from. In Six years our disagreements have been slim to none. We know that it is okay to agree to disagree. We know that it is okay to admit our faults and seek forgiveness. We know that our differences makes us who we are and should be embraced. We are both grateful for our past, because we agree that those broken roads, led us to one another. Those difficult times in our lives, gave us the ability to truly appreciate the good times.

Twenty years ago this year, I met a man who would one day change my life forever.  There have been times where I have wished we would have bypassed all of the wasted time with others, But it was not in Gods plan, and we accept that. We believe that we were meant to face tough obstacles in life, so that we would gain the ability to Love another person more than ourselves. So far, it has worked out perfectly.

I know Six years is not a very long time. But it is by far the best six years of my life. If I die today, I would die knowing I had the whole heart of a precious man, and he had mine.

To my husband: If I had to travel that road again, to get to where you are, I would do it without any hesitation. “You, The Love of My Life, are worth it. ”

A friend introduced me to this verse, and it fits perfectly.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.    Jeremiah 29:11

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.           Proverbs 3: 5-6

And my favorite of all Verses. If we would all live by this one Verse, What a world it would be….

 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.       1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Happy Anniversary LOML