12 Years

     Twelve years ago today, I began a new chapter in my life once again.  I was getting ready to get married.  I really never thought that I would get married a second time.  I believe that marriage is forever.  My first marriage ended...I tried to "fix" it, but marriage takes two, one person can't fix a broken marriage.  I decided at that point, I was done with marriage.  I truly believe that everyone should be married once, but that was my limit.   And then I met Jim....

     I met Jim at work.  It wasn't love at first sight...although I can remember our first conversation (not romantic at all, he asked me to help him get carts from the parking lot).  He was truly a nice guy.  We talked and got to know each other.  I respected the importance that he placed on his family.  He showed me pictures of his boys.  He was respectful when he spoke of his ex-wife.  He was a hard worker.  I began to look forward to our conversations.  And then one day we went to lunch together.

     Our lunch wasn't at a romantic location...seriously, Wendy's.  We each had a jr bacon cheeseburger (he had two), fries, and a coke.  But that lunch changed the course of our friendship.  We both knew that there was more to come.  We began to talk more, share more of our lives together, spend more time together.  And less than a year after that first lunch, we went to a little wedding chapel in Greenfield and got married.  We vowed before God, our family, and our friends to love each other through all that life brings us.

     Our marriage hasn't always been easy.  We have had ups and downs, times where we weren't sure that we would be together, but we have fought through those times.  We have been through a huge location change that was so hard on me...I am sure that it was really rough on Jim dealing with me during that time.  We have been through Jim's cancer.  We have the blessing of a daughter.  We are watching the boys grow into young men starting their own adventures in life.  We have the simple moments each day.

     The last twelve years have been a partnership of two people committed to making a life together.  It is a journey each day.  Our marriage is a choice that we made then, a choice that we make now, every single day.  It is not perfect...but there is no one that I would rather be imperfect with than Jim!  I am looking forward to each new day of our journey together.