Of Love, Marriage and Family - A Poem

I found a card a few months ago that I had given to my husband for our 7 year anniversary of togetherness (up to and including our marriage - I abhor having to start 'all over again' just because we married - pft!) anyway...the card is so simple yet so perfectly describes a relationship, a marriage.....love.

On the outside it says:

LOVE ISN'T IN THE FALLING...
(please excuse the horrible quality of my phone picture)

when you open it up it says:

IT'S IN THE STAYING THERE
(I added that little heart - I like to do cheesy things like that)

So, today, in honour of Valentine's Day I wrote a poem for my husband...I don't fancy myself a poet but when the mood strikes I go for it.

I'm crazy like that.

********************************************************************************
To the love of my life;

nearly twelve years have come and gone

a year for every rose to be given to thee valentine

except

I don't wish for flowers

but you already know that

twelve years of give and take

often longing for 50-50

learning, faltering, careening, oftentimes wallowing...

that an even parallel doesn't work one hundred percent of the time

a dozen years of a lot of love

and a little bit of hate.

because if you've ever truly been in love

you don't get to have one...without the other

for if only love were that simple

dissolution of the ties that bind would be rare

twelve years

of a lot of laughs

and tears shed

moving through the days filled with duty

weeks after months of responsibility

years of opposite work schedules

passing each other in the late afternoons

my hello to your good-bye

though never without a kiss


no.  never without a kiss

evenings of cribbage filled with mighty competition and a couple of bottles of wine

of music, great conversation, cooking dinner together

then

lying curled into one another

your hand on my belly

our fingers entwined

together

always

this is what we do

7 years ago almost to the day

we sat across from each other in our tiny old apartment

where you laid out the rocks we collected together

from all of our beach walks

unbeknownst to me...you kept them all those years


I love that we still have them

you asked me to be your wife that night

then put a beautiful one on my finger

it was perfect

designed for me only

6 years ago we vowed forever

5 years ago our love became a tiny not yet tangible one blooming inside of me

4 years ago he was born

filled with spirit, curiosity and very loud lungs

he is pure love

3 years ago I began to blossom

again

with our second child

2 years ago our second son was born

brimming with soul, sensitivity and a mischevious glint is his baby blues

he is pure love


doubling the love in our family

doubling our devotion to each other

we were in deep

life became all encompassing

our nights punctuated with baby cries

diaper changes

feedings and teething

stumbling our way forth

blindly, tiredly

grappling

teetering

we fell to our knees at times

on the sharp edge of a barrage of

questions

how, when, will you, can we


do this?

but we never fell off

life is an ever changing kaleidoscope of emotions

and there will be more

I know this

for that


is marriage.


and


this


is love.

I want to thank you for giving all that you have

for being all that you are

for living this life always by my side

12 years have passed and now my life is complete

I am proud

Of Us

My Family  


Our Life


Together

I'm blessed today

and everyday

to be surrounded by my boys

my loves, my heart, my all

two, for a time too short

until they find another

one, for forever and a day

but today I have all of you

here and now

to myself

My three

Beautiful

Perfect

Valentines.

Me and my tiny Valentine's.

My Main Valentine.
Life is an adventure with you my dear husband.
You can take me dune buggy riding any day.

I am taking the plunge again over at Yeah Write.  Please go on over and read some awesome blogs.  You can return again on Thursday and vote for me and 2 more of your favourites.