I do, I promised

I take you
from this day forward
for better, for worse
in sickness, in health
for richer, or poorer
forsaking all others
till death do we part

how many of these we have honored?
how many of these we have failed?

once, you refereed to us as an entity
and I believe you are right... with this one true thing!
even you and I do not know how to undo all we have done well,
and done well together!

the scares we have left in one another over the years are deep.
they changed the map of our life, for not just us, but our family.

but still here we are, together!

so I will celebrate this!
our quiet sustainable love for each other's backs.
the decisions we make to stick to each other.
the love and work we put into our home, and now grand babies.
how we know each other's bodies like the cars we drive.
yeah, we are there.

we said our vows in the rain with total strangers.
our eyes welled with tears from the emotion.
However we have learned that love is not always emotion.
real love can be far from romantic, in fact it is very messy!

the vows may be the foundation, a compass to propel us forward together when life happens.
maybe we don't get to know what is coming, but we have been given the gift of keeping each others story.  Not only do we get to keep the other's story, have a front row seat at it, we have the unique gift to enhance the story, or sadly take from it.

there are many people who get to keep our story, our parents, our siblings,
old radio friends, our children each of them knowing and seeing a specific part of who we are or were.
but you my True Companion, know my story best.
you even know the things not spoken.
you know my hearts desires and all its broken places.
and yes, I do believe that I know yours too.

fifteen years we have been together (that is at least 3 car leases)
we still have a lot of story left to make together!
Lets make our stories great ones!

Happy 14th Anniversary Eve Babe!  Me Lvoes You the Most!