Not What I Thought

In a couple of weeks I’ll have been married for twenty years. The number sounds larger I guess. But it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long.

I’ve heard some of my teenage kiddos talking about love or making comments about married people lately. And I guess here’s some things that took me awhile to realize, but that I hope my kiddos can see about love ~ presented in two summaries of my observations.

1. I used to think my Grandma was a more quiet and less strong person because of how much she relied on my Grandpa. It took me many years to realize how strong she was. She needed him to carry a heavy bag for her. But she could push him, in his wheelchair, around parking lots and up a ramp. She knew when to let him shine. She has had a quiet strength for her entire life that let her lovingly stay in the back to let my Grandpa feel needed when there were many things in life that he couldn’t physically do. That is a strength that I don’t know if I have or not.
2. I love my Marky. (P.S. I’m the only one that gets to call him that). He has made my Mom very happy ❤ They have had their ups and downs. They have had some fights. But they’ve had a lot more moments of love than they have fights. My Mom told me once that if anything happened to him, she would never get married again. She said she would have no desire to, because he has really loved her and made her feel loved. She wouldn’t be missing that part of life if he has to leave this Earth before her; he has loved her enough to last the rest of her life. And if you could have seen her face when she said that, it was a look of completeness and contented happiness. She recognizes the value of love over the day to day irritants and I know I miss that sometimes; like when I get too busy being irritated to be thankful.

Tonight I am thankful for two good examples of love in my life. I don’t know if they ever came as close to walking away as the hubster and I have. If they did, I don’t remember. But I am forever thankful for being able to see love, in different forms in some great people in my life ❤