This story is changing. Curtains opening to Act 2. Drama
unfolding. Uncertainty remains. Bone crushing responsibilities weigh on our
shoulders.
As we weather a wintry brutal season in our marriage, we
should bolster each other and hold on until the smoke clears. But we don’t. We
move onto divergent paths. He’s steady, strong, undeniable in who he is. I
never thought I’d question my faith. I’ve always believed in goodness, mercy,
love. I’ve believed in love most of all; that the heart can expand… enlarge
amidst crushing defeat.
These days, I take a minute to refresh, to breathe, and
meditate. I focus on the good… no... the GREAT things: more than ten years ago,
we danced in the moonlight, fireworks exploded when we kissed, lightning struck
when we touched, love changed everything. These days, he doesn’t write me love
letters anymore or stop everything to kiss me in the middle of a busy day. He
does much more than that. He lays down his life. It’s in the ordinary moments weaved
together into the testimony of a most honorable man who comes home to his
family every single night and overlooks the mess and chaos.
He battles alongside me again and again, holds my hand, and
stands behind me as I fail yet again to battle my demons. When I’ve deserted
the troops and go AWOL, he finds me and helps me fight my way back.
I walk in
my father’s shoes now, down the same roads he’s traveled. I finally understand
the whys. I am humbled by my father’s sacrifices and as I lay down my
bitterness and finally forgive, walls crumble.
I find my heart. Glory,
Hallelujah.
Ahh, so THAT’S what love feels like.
The dust settles and Steve is behind the mist, holding it
all together. He lays down his life, his heart. There are no trumpets and a
parade to welcome me home. There’s just bone deep, remarkable love that walks the
ordinary, normal, mediocre, daily doldrum. Sometimes it’s one step, one climb, one
limp, one leap forward.
It’s one more Kid Cuisine, one more modge podge project, one
more story, one more swim lesson, one more band aid, one more spill to clean up,
one more kiss before bed, one more night where we commit to do better tomorrow.
This love in action.
This IS happily ever after. Our story evolves, some days can
be rough but it’s still OUR story. This is when it counts. This is when love
shows up.
