I know there are many people who think six years is a short time, and in the temporal sense they are correct. But a lot of life can happen in six years. The events that occur and the transitions faced can either strengthen a marriage or ultimately break it down. But a lot of it comes down to choice. You have to choose to love your spouse for who they are, not who you want them to be. You have to choose to stop being angry after a fight. You have to choose to accept that your spouse is not "perfect" and realize that you are not either. And you have to choose to grow together when life tries to pull you apart. Jimmy and I have been forced to make all of these choices in our marriage, but there is something else that keeps us together through all of our trials: we just can't seem to quit each other.
From the moment our eyes met from across a crowded room, we both knew. It didn't even take an exchange of words. I didn't know his name or his story, but I did know I would marry him. Three very short months later, he tied a little red string around my finger and asked me to be his wife. Without hesitation, I emphatically accepted. Three months sounds crazy right? But today, if I could do it all over again, knowing everything I know now, I would have asked him what took him so long.
I don't want to give the false impression that loving each other is always easy. I think that is true of any marriage, but the military has a unique way of testing the strength of a marriage. Jimmy and I have been apart for almost half of our marriage. We have had to learn to live without each other, even though all we want is to be together. We have had to deal with loneliness and had to learn to fill the voids with e-mails, letters, and the rare phone call. We have had to learn to accept that we will not be together for every holiday, anniversary, and birthday. And we have learned to take dissappointment and separation in stride.
Today we are celebrating yet another anniversary apart. There is nothing more I want right now than to have him here with me. But it is what it is, and this is one of the many sacrifices we have chosen to make. The distance does not change what we have. And we know our marriage is stronger today than ever. I don't need a dozen roses and a fancy candlelight dinner, I have the love of my sailor and that is enough for me.
**Jimmy, no matter how long you are gone and no matter how far away you are, I will always choose you. Thank you for an amazing six years. It has been an adventure and I cannot wait for the rest of our lives. Happy anniversary sailor! I love you. **
You bring back so many memories of my time with/without Ed. He was no longer in the military when we met, but he did drive cross-country and was gone for 2-3 weeks and then home for 48 hours before heading out again. When you love each other and want to be together, you learn to deal with the time apart. Sounds like you two are making it work.
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