a love story

One of the advantages of being an old(er), married student in a class of many young, single women, is that I get to hear funny stories of relationship drama and think, "Thank God/dess that's not me!" 

I do not miss the roller coaster of emotion, the Will-He-or-Won't-He questions, the struggle to hold onto myself while wanting to tumble. I may not have the same euphoria experienced in that initial, exciting connection to someone you hope will be special, but I have something better.

I have gentle, present, constant, sustaining Love.

Our Love Story isn't a storybook story. We met in my first week of seminary (his second year), but it wasn't love at first sight. It wasn't even like at first sight. It was a long, circuitous year of mutual friendships, interest, disinterest, hurt, silliness, hope, certainty, uncertainty. It was a roller coaster of rushing up and down and upside down in a track of twists and turns and loops that somehow led us together in the end. It was a wonderful, awful year. One I will always treasure. But one I'm glad is over!

Because in the end, what I got was so much sweeter than the adrenaline rush of a roller coaster (and I LOVE roller coasters - the real ones). What I got was the joining-together with a beautiful, imperfect, just-for-me Man.

Marriage is hard. Of course. Always. Relationships are hard. Throw in some kids, medical drama, boredom, job drama, moves, personal crisis, everyday life - it's a wonder any of us stay together. So many are appalled by the 50% divorce rate. I say that means 50% of us stay together - 50 whole percent! It's amazing, really. So when I say I got my just-for-me Man, I don't mean that makes it easy. Not by a long shot. We frustrate each other, miscommunicate, ignore each other, take the other for granted, bore one another, yell, walk away, disappoint. We have our problems.

But even when problems are at their worst, I know that My Man will stick with me, stick with us. I know that he will walk beside me through the good and the bad. I know that we will fly high together and crawl low together and everything in between. I know that he will look for good in me even when it's hard to find. I know that he will do the laundry, pick up the kids, play with the kids, cook dinner, clean the bathroom, talk to me, hug me, kiss me, challenge me, support me, love me, be an ever-present glue that holds us together. I do not worry; I trust. What a beautiful, precious gift.

My Man and I will have our 10th Anniversary this year. 10 whole years. Not a lifetime, but a long time. I don't know where this Love Story will take us. I like to imagine that someday we'll be rocking on a porch together surrounded by loved ones, but I know there's no guarantee. We don't know how many more days we'll have to craft this Story. We don't know where the Story will be broken and where it will hold. We do know that a lot of it will fill with the day-to-day moments that are not write-down-worthy but in the end are the threads that weave us together.

This is our Love story:
It was not love at first sight...for either of us.
But it is love at last sight...and that's the story I am so very thankful for.