February 14, 2020

My current husband of nearly twenty-four years is the only person that emphatically told me not to marry my first husband. Other people told me I shouldn’t get married, but it was more of a “You’re too young to get married to anyone” type of statement, but Mike’s warning “Don’t marry him” were very specific in that getting married in general was fine, just not to Justin. As I’ve learned many times since then, Mike is always right. (Valentine Gift #1)

I never expected to end up marrying the best man from my first wedding, and even though I was obviously willing to marry, had no concept of actually being with someone for that long. When you’re young, being in a relationship over a year seems like a week from forever, but I have now been married to this man for almost half of my life. Half of my life…

Others, namely my mother, have known me since day one, but years of marriage are measured in dog years given the sheer volume of worries, as well as abundance of miracles that you go through and share over time.* I know of no poems, songs, or stories that can accurately capture the essence of what it means to experience life with someone else at the soul level. The investment is immeasurable.

I consider myself so very lucky to have found someone in which that investment was a no brainer. Is he perfect? No. (Sorry Mike) Is he sometimes thick like men can be? Yes. (Sorry again) But he is my protector, my army against those that want to hurt me and sometimes myself. He watches out for me and takes care of me at all times and at any cost. My first thoughts are always of him. He is my #1 and I am grateful that he has been able to overlook the fact that I’m not perfect either. (Valentine Gift #2)

So Mikey, my Pickle, Happy Valentine’s Day. I know you are reading this cause I’ve caught you checking out my posts. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that the stupid little girl that you were already protecting and warning against that doomed marriage in 1989 was eventually able to find her way back to you and somehow convince you that she wasn’t that stupid little girl anymore and that our life would be amazing if we just lived it together. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for taking care of me. Thank you for loving me.

And thanks for those shits we call kids. 🙂 (Valentine Gifts #3 & #4)

XO LLM

*List given upon request.