Nineteen months ago, neither one of us was interested in this. The thought of a relationship conjured up the idea of being vulnerable to heartache and didn’t seem worth it. Yet for some reason when Jenny presented the idea to us, we found ourselves reluctantly saying “yes”. Very quickly Don and I discovered we had much in common. We realized that our values lined up to an uncanny degree. Though I didn’t find him attractive at first and I certainly wasn’t his type either—I mean, I’m short, brunette, and tattooed-- our compatibility in all the other ways couldn’t be beat. Eventually, we realized how good-looking each other was, too! Haha.
The friendship came easily to us and we’ve always been able to have fun together. The relationship has not been easy. We’ve had many painful trials to work through as a couple. Neither one of us was really prepared to fall headlong into love like this. We’re broken people. We’ve got baggage. The thing is, no matter how hard things have gotten, we’ve managed to get through it together. That’s love. Love is commitment when times get tough. It’s a refusal to quit. It’s a choice to serve and care for another person above oneself.
Don stepped in and loved my daughters. He treats them no different than the one he’s had since before her birth. Finally, after years of praying for a “new daddy”, there was a name and a face. There was a man tucking them in several nights a week, wrestling with them in the living room, reading them stories, reminding them to obey their mom, taking them to church, helping around the house, letting them snuggle up during a movie; saying “I love you.” HE WAS REAL.
He loved me as I was; he loves me still as I am. He supports my dreams. He tells me he’s proud of me. He makes sure I know on the regular how smart, capable, beautiful, and amazing he thinks I am. He's never made me feel broken; "too much", or "not enough".
He was everything I could have wanted and more. In less than than 24 hours, I will be his wife.
Though most people would say I'm "remarrying", I dislike the term a bit. In my mind it has a connotation of a do-over. True, I was married before, but my marriage to Chris was a gift from the Lord, just as this one is. Marrying Don is no do-over but yet another beautiful beginning... another fresh chance to love and be loved.
I'll meet you at the altar, babe.