13th Wedding Anniversary

Yep, folks you saw it hear first. This is Lynley and my 13th wedding anniversary. Couple that with the 7 years that we were together before we were married and you can see that we have been betrothed to each other since before the beginning of time. How inspiring! Married for 13 years straight. Is it a testament to deep love? Our deep conviction? Or, is it our commitment to torture each other for the rest of our lives. Yes, it is a blurry line. ;)

We have crossed the boundary from newlyweds to oldyweds and even slinked straight through the seven year itch with nary even a scratch. Yes, there is no doubt, for one reason or another, we are clearly dedicated to seeing each other through to our ultimate demise.

So, as I sit here on or 13th anniversary I have to think. I have to reflect over the last 13 years. It has not all been easy. Lynley and I are very different people. We always have been. In fact, outside of her and I, I don't think anyone really realizes just how different we truly really are and, if you looked into our brains, I think you would be shocked at what you would find. We are talking about super secret differences that no one even has the slightest inkling about. Couple those massive differences with the fact that our marriage had to face Sydney's cancer - (a known destroyer of marriages) and the fact that we both have different points of view (remember I kill cancer, she protects quality of life) , and one has to wonder how we are still together at all. I am a saver. She is a spender. I thrive on change. She hates it. She is a neat freak. I can handle the dust. She is organized and I defy organization. Our opinions differ - on almost everything.

The list goes on...

and on....

So, why do we work? Why 13 years of marriage?

I think it comes down to this. We are a team. We always have been. We have always been in this together. When the going got tough, we got going - TOGETHER. Outside of all of the differences in our characters there is something very similar in our souls. Deep down inside, we are always there for each other. Regardless of the differences, the petty disagreements we are there for each other. When it comes to it, somehow, we get it. We get each other. We have a core connection.

I know that doesn't sound very romantic but, hey, this is our 13th anniversary. It is hard to get all gushy about the 13th of anything. But I can tell you this.

I love being married to Lynley. I love damn near everything about her. And, if there is anything I have learned over the last 13 years, I know that I only want to be closer to her over the next 13, 50, or whatever I have left in life. I love her more today than the day we were married. I want to be a better husband to her. I want to be closer to her. I want to know more. I want to share more. I just want more of her. More than ever. While in some ways the challenges she and I have faced in life have strengthened our bond, they have also taken away something very valuable. They have taken away our focus and priority of each other. That is my resolution for the next thirteen years. With every day, I want to make sure she knows were she ranks in my life. She is my foundation. She is my everything. She is my number one.

Sorry, honey, it does not look like I am done yet. It looks like you are going to be stuck with me.

She is the purpose I talk about the least but, she is the most important. Without her, I would be without it.