Love Letter: The Other Half of You

Ry,

I am feeling frazzled today.  The house is a disaster, and I can’t finish any of the tasks I start—because Noah needs breakfast, the baby wails if she’s not held, the doorbell rings and I am not dressed, a refrigerator repairman is waiting on the doorstep…

I am in the midst of making muffins for a friend who is pregnant and sick, decorating for Christmas, writing a guest post for a friend’s marriage blog, planning dinner, doing laundry…

I feel stressed and a little discouraged—and yet, I keep thinking of something that you said yesterday when you were holding Sally: “How can we freeze time?”

I know you were referring more to the adorable stage that she is in right now than the chaos of our current existence, but your words keep coming back to me today and reminding me that this phase of our life is precious.  Chaos, certainly—but precious chaos.  Thank you for everything you do for me to make the mayhem more manageable.  I don’t know what I would do without you. 

I chatted with a college student the other day on the plane home from Denver.  Somehow this small-talk with a stranger turned into a two-hour heart-to-heart (LOL…I am ridiculous), and he told me that he has a girlfriend but he just can’t imagine getting married anytime soon.

I told him that was obviously a decision to make very slowly and deliberately (the most important decision of his entire life!), but that I fear the young people of today’s world are afraid of marriage and commitment.  I told him that I got married at his age, and I have never regretted it for a moment.  “Marriage, kids, family life—it is amazing,” I told him. “When you marry your best friend, it is all amazing.”

And I meant that.  I wouldn’t trade a moment of my life with you.

We are coming up on nine years of marriage this month, so maybe that’s why all of this has been on my mind, but I discovered a beautiful love song today and it made me think of what we have together.  I think I had heard the song before, but I didn’t realize it was a love song (it is up-tempo, which is unusual for a romantic song), and I had never really listened to the words before.  When I did, it made me think of where we started as those young, college-aged newlyweds and where we are today:

“We are not perfect, we’ll learn from our mistakes,

But as long as it takes, I will prove my love to you.

I am not scared of the elements, I am underprepared

But I am willing

And even better—

I get to be the other half of you.

Tell the world that we finally got it all right,

I choose you.

I will become yours and you will become mine,

I choose you...

My whole heart will be yours forever,

This is a beautiful start

To a lifelong love letter…”

I am grateful beyond words for you—and that I get to be the other half of you.  How lucky am I??

Come home soon and snuggle me.

xo

Your Wife

Then

Now