Numbers...

Today, Sunday, July 12th, I will have been married to my sweetheart for 22 years! I’ve now been married for 3 years longer than I was single. Hard to believe! I’m pretty confident that no one thought it would last. After all, I was only 19-years-old, T was 23. We had only known each other for 6 months and had only been ‘engaged’ for 3 of them! The odds were most certainly stacked against us. Neither of us had any money, college degrees or good-paying jobs – aren’t those the pre-cursors to a healthy, successful marriage??! And, bonus, T had orders to leave right away – moving to Sicily, Italy. I should have recognized the start of a very stressful pattern – absence & sacrifice. We were however, madly in love and no one could convince us to think rationally!

I moved my very naïve self across the world and joined my beloved in Sicily. As blissfully happy newlyweds, we had 3 male roommates. T & I us shared a twin bed! Yes, there was 1 communal bathroom for these 4 men & I; how romantic!? After 1 year in Sicily, we moved to FL for 7 years, then NE for 2 years, then SD for 8 years, now in GA for the past 3+ while T divides his time between FL and the Middle East.

We had 9 years of ‘DINKhood’ (dual-income-no-kids) that allowed us to mature, grow, travel, basically get to know each other, etc. I got my much-sought-after college degree(s.) T’s job turned into a 22 ½ year career in the USAF. Fast forward to today with our 3 wonderful kids and 1 albatross (thanks for the great word, KL) of a house that we can’t get rid of; life certainly has thrown us some curves.

We have spent countless numbers of years apart from one another within his career. T has consistently given huge portions of his life to his job – his country - in order to support his family and continues to steadfastly agree with me that one of us needs to be home to care for the family & the home. I’m so very thankful that God brought me a man so like-minded (at least on that subject:).

16 months is how long we’ve now been separated by T living in another state & country…. again, sacrificing for our well-being. Over 486 days that our children have not had the continuity that an intact family life brings. Approximately 11,000 hours have gone by that the kids haven’t been able to count on their Daddy being at home:(…. My heart continues to ache for them.

An infinite number of tears I’ve cried. Limitless numbers of wiping noses. Immeasurable numbers of conversations we’ve had. Endless numbers of prayers we’ve lifted up… ALL without T here. However, we know he loves us and he cares for us and he would change the situation in ONE minute – if he could.

So, even though today’s milestone – my wedding anniversary, finds me alone yet again, I’m choosing to be thankful… thankful that I have a terrific man to love & who loves me. Today, even though the absences and sacrifices have never been easy, my joy comes from knowing that we share a love that surpasses numbers whether they are time zones, zip codes, phone numbers, or addresses.

I love you, T – today & always.