April 25, 2013
My Love, My Life, My Breath,
How
does one begin to sum up 15 years of marriage?
How do you even begin to explain what this time has done to you as a
person? I can hardly believe as I sit here that 15 (+) years has passed…some
days it feels like yesterday and there are some that feel like it has been the
longest race…but as you run a race, there are always stations where you can
grab a cup of water and feel replenished - it gives you that little bit of fuel
to press on….I am grateful that in these days, the cup has been there to refuel
us and help us press on…
I
don’t know if there are enough words to express how I feel as I write…I don’t
know how to process the depth of my love and feelings for you. I never thought I would have this in my life,
I never thought anyone would love me this way…would CHOOSE to love me this way…you changed my life the moment we went
from friends to a couple. You changed
who I was, who I thought I was going to be, what I wanted in my life and you
busted through a wall that I never thought anyone would ever get through…there
is no one on this Earth that knows me the way you do.
We
have beat the odds…most people who marry at our age, with our circumstance
don’t make it…I am grateful everyday (even the ones that I want to beat you)
that we have always chosen to keep trying, even when giving up would have been
easier…but I guess that is us…always doing things the hard way J
I
can’t imagine my life without you in it.
You have done so much to help me grow, to teach me how to be open to
love, to make me be a better person, wife and mommy…I know that some people say
that this could be too much dependency, but truly, there are days that being
apart from you because of work or other schedule issues I just feel empty, like
part of me is missing…there is nothing better in this life then knowing that
you have someone whose love pushes you to be more than you can imagine, whose
very presence fills you with joy and hope and who loves you with a love than
can only come from the kind of love that Jesus gives us.
Because
of you, I believe: love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious and does
not boast. It is not rude, proud or
self-seeking. It is not easily angered,
does not record wrongs. It doesn’t
delight in the bad and it rejoices in the truth. It always protects, trusts,
hopes and perseveres. Love never fails. Even in the times that it may not seem this
way, I know that your love will never fail…Your hope and optimism astound
me. I have never known someone like you;
who can always find the hope in the dark, see the light in the future, and find
the joy in the sorrow…
There
is no one else I can imagine raising kids with, walking through the storms, the
hurricanes and the earthquakes of life with; there is not anyone else that I
would rather share my joy, my hope and the exciting things of life with. You are my person, my partner, my love, my
best friend…These past 15 (+) years have been some of the greatest and some of
the hardest of my life, but I would not change them for anything in the world…I
would do every amazing, joy filled, loving moment all over again and every
tear, heartache and devastating moment again…every one of those moments have led
us to where we are today and there is no one else that I would want to be
standing here with.
Babe,
you are the greatest gift God has given me.
I don’t think there is anyone else that could compliment me the way you
do, that could understand me, support me, guide me….you lift me up, you hold me
close, you nurture my independence, you breathe life into the days that I feel
lifeless, you carry me through the storms, you nurture and guide my
relationship with Jesus, you push me to grow, to learn, to be filled with a joy
that only comes from faith. You are
everything I could ever want, but most of all you are everything that I need.
In
the darkest moments, you are the reason that I can still see the light – still
find Him – and still know there is purpose in it all. In the happiest moments, you are the reason
that I smile bigger – keep the joy close – and know that we deserve to be
happy. In times of peace, you are the
reason we are steady – you are the reason we stay open to what is coming – and
you are the reason we know peace comes from Him. In times of turmoil, you are the reason I
hold on to Him to stay afloat – the one who comforts me in the rawness of life –
and you are the reason I find hope.
The
fact is, life isn’t worth truly living without having you to live it with…the
next chapter of our lives will be a ride, this I can already tell. One son entering high school, one moving into
the teen years...I don’t know how one even begins to process the fact that our
boys are turning into men before our eyes – We are barely adults ourselves J
Never
stop being the man you are, the one you are striving to be…I will walk beside
you in the greatest hours and in the darkest and when I get lost, I know you
will be there to take my hand and lead me back to Him and to you…
Thank
you for the past 15 (+) years. Thank you
for loving me like no one else ever has or ever could. Thank you for being willing to always work it
out, work it through and strive for more.
Thank you for being forgiving, gracious and full of mercy. Thank you for giving the greatest hugs in the
whole world. Thank you for loving my
family as your own. Thank you for
supporting and complimenting. Most of
all, thank you for being all I have ever needed. I adore you, I am blessed to have you, and I
love you.
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