It’s no secret that I love being married to my husband. It is, by far, the most precious part of my life. I am someone who firmly believed love and marriage was far beyond my reach. It was something meant for movies, tv, and other people, not for me. Never has God proved me so plainly wrong.

It was mid-April 2018, a month or so after my mother passed, and I found myself in need of a place to live by May 1, just two weeks later. My sister had moved to the Georgia coast from the center of South Carolina and I’d driven down for a visit. When she suggested I consider moving a little farther than across town, I knew it was the right thing to do.

Once I’d moved, I decided to try out a church down the road. What I remember most about that day was the music and the pastor, and how much it all touched my heart. When I heard the music, though, I knew I was in the right place.

It was through church that I met Greg. I can say, without exaggeration, I felt love for him the very first time we met. We experienced one of those moments where the world all around us went kind of mute and fuzzy, while our little bubble got all vivid and full of light.

From the very beginning, God has had a bigger role in our relationship than we have. Together, we have worked hard to keep Him at the center of all our choices, which has brought more peace and blessings to our lives than we ever thought possible.

That is true for me individually, as well as for us as a couple. While I still have areas of great challenge, I have a deeper understanding of how much easier the hard things are to deal with when I focus on God more than myself.

I started living a much more Christ-centered life during the months before I made my move to Georgia. The closer I got to the Lord, the more I trusted His path over mine, and THAT is what brought me to this of Valentine of mine!

Before I met my husband, my only prayer to God in regards to love, should life bring love my way, was that He bring me a man who would pray with me, who was kind, and who would make me laugh.

Well, God checked off all those boxes and so many more! Let me tell you about my husband…he is funny, kind, and has a deep, abiding love of the Lord. He’s a dad who loves his kids. He’s a man who treasures his grandchildren. He’s a good friend and a solid neighbor. He has mad skills in woodworking and turns out some fantastic food from our kitchen.

He is a man who pulls over to rescue a turtle from the road (a snapping turtle, no less – where’s the gratitude?) and he’s a man who will drive across the country when one of his kids need him. He’s a man who puts toothpaste on my toothbrush when he puts some on his.

He’s a man who continues to lead others through grief, because he understands the journey all too well. He’s the one who never fails to show up, and when he does, he brings a smile. He’s got dimples that melt my heart and makes me laugh so hard tears stream down my face.

He’s not perfect and neither am I, but he sure is perfect for me. No matter how hard this life gets, the blessing of his presence in it will always tip the scales in my favor. Even on a day when it feels I’ve lost my best friend, he can take the sting out.

So, Happy Valentine’s Day to the love of my life…If I were to have a thousand years with you at my side, it still wouldn’t been enough. I’m grateful for the man you are, and I’m extremely grateful God felt me worthy of such a marriage as this!