This month marks 36 years that I’ve been with John. Not all of those married.
I fell head over heels in love with him when I was a freshman in highschool. He was a senior. Off to college he went. Returned in six months. It wasn’t for him.
We began to date. We dated for six years. Fresh out of a two year college degree, we married. It’s been bliss every since.
Okay, well, maybe not complete bliss. We’ve had our ups and downs. Some big ups and some big downs. But I wouldn’t trade any of it. He’s a keeper.
This past fall we went through some tough challenges – well, at least challenges to us.
But as we’ve moved into the New Year, I’ve felt a deeper sense of love and compassion from John. He’s always been a very caring man, but there is just something more now.
It’s the little things, really. Lately he’s been telling me how pretty I am. Not that I really need to hear that all that much anymore, as I’ve gotten so much more comfortable in my own skin. But still, it feels good to hear it. And I hear it differently than when I was younger. It feels sweet and makes my toes tingle.
It’s the way in which he talks to Kylie and Gidget. How he looks when he’s loading the wood in the woodstove, talking to Gidget who is often times beside him, “helping.” My heart does sommersaults for the love I see radiating from him in those moments.
It’s how he has learned to settle in at the end of the day, comfy in his flannel pants with “Life is Good” yellow labs on them, and his slippers, relaxing across from me in the living room in the big maroon chair. It wasn’t always easy for him to do this.
It’s the way in which he wraps his arms around me in the morning. Hugging me before he is out the door. The way his arms feel around me makes me feel safe and secure. Different than from when I was young and when it was all about reassurance.
I’m truly proud of the person he has become and how he is willing to keep growing, even when things have been difficult.
He is so much a part of what defines a meaningful life for me. So, Yes. Yes, indeed. He’s a keeper. Lucky lady am I.