Our Love is Here to Stay

Today is our 7th wedding anniversary. Seven years that feel in so many ways like seven minutes. No one is "itchy" yet, as far as I can tell:) Things are so different than they were in 2002, but the important things are still the same, or better. In some ways, it's surprising, because according to popular thought we should be getting sick of each other by now or feeling bored or losing our attraction for one another. Nope. Just the opposite. I'm still excited to see TH when we've been apart for awhile. I still can't go a few hours at work without calling or texting him. I still find him very attractive...have you seen this guy, he's hot! To me, anyway. We haven't run out of things to say, at least positive things. The longer we're married, the less we argue and fight, and the more we really talk. Our base friendship with each other has only gotten deeper and more important to me. He's my partner in every sense of the word. Even if we disagree sometimes about the details of the journey, we still have the same ultimate destination in mind.

The past year, as with every year before it, has had its share of highs and lows. I find myself thinking about our wedding vows more and more, as we become grown-ups together and they're put to the test. For richer or poorer...haha has that ever been tested in our marriage. We started out broke. And I mean BROKE. I was in vet school, working 2 jobs on the weekend which maybe covered my textbooks. TH was a counselor at a halfway house of sorts, and had a crazy schedule that involved him being away at night 4 days out of the week. We lived in a "restricted income" apartment, which means you had to be, well, broke to qualify to live there. And here we are now, homeowners who've upgraded from a card table in the dining room to real furniture and 2 cars in the garage. Amazing.

In sickness and in health...this one's the kicker. 3 years ago we found out that TH has a chronic disease that we'll be dealing with for the rest of our lives. There have been some truly scary moments, where I lay in bed wondering if things were going to be cut short right when life was getting fun. I never thought that before we were 30 we'd have to think about what would happen if one of us ends up disabled before 40. For some couples, I guess, this kind of diagnosis could lead to problems, but for us it's only made us stronger. I wake up every morning and I know how blessed I am that TH is still here and he's doing well. And I know in my heart that when he's not doing well (which has happened), I'm not going anywhere. He's the one.

I could say so much more about what my marriage means to me and how lucky I am to have TH, but I'll just refer back to our wedding song, which still moves me when I hear it even though it was recorded 30 years before I was born.

Our Love is Here to Stay (as sung by Ella Fitzgerald)

It's very clear, our love is here to stay.
Not for a year, but ever and a day.
The radio and the telephone and the movies that we know,
May just be passing fancies, and in time may go...
But oh, my dear, our love is here to stay.
Together we're going a long, long way.
In time, the Rockies may tumble, Gibraltar may crumble -
they're only made of clay.
But, our love is here to stay.