This is Where Love Lives

 

Ten years of joy.

This is what this has been.

On August 13, 2010 my wife Rachel and I began living together.

One of the best decisions I have ever made.

I want to take a few moments to tell you why this has been so good for me in hopes that it may inspire you to take this beautiful chance on love someday (if you haven’t already).

When we decided to live together it was a decision that was obvious. There was no question about whether it was going to be a good thing or not.

Rachel and I had been dating for some time. When it came time to talk about living together, we were both excited.

Living together has always been fantastic. The moving process for me was not so great.

I tend to hold on to lots of stuff, and her moving in was a great opportunity for me to find out what stuff was important and what was not. Letting go of those “unimportant” things was not easy for me. I have tended to associate some of my self-worth with the amount of stuff I own. This process challenged that. I was faced with the prospect of having to decide what was important and what was not. There are many things that I still have from my childhood that made the cut. Things like photos, my cassette tapes, yearbooks, and other family heirlooms are still with me.

One painting that is especially meaningful to me was one made by my paternal grandfather in 1912 of Jesus looking up to heaven. Today it hangs next to my bed.

We moved in. It was tough for me, but it has been the most wonderful experience I could ever imagine.

Here are some reasons why I love living with my wife.

1.       I love it when one of us comes home and is greeted with a big hug and a kiss by the other. Safety has always been at the top of my list of priorities. When one of us walks in the door there is always a wonderful reception of excitement by the other. It is the same excitement we had when we started dating, and still holds true to this day.

2.       We are both very fair when it comes to doing chores. Yes, the boring chores. But if you have experienced living with someone who doesn’t pull their own weight you know how important it is. I love that we take out the trash together, put the dishes in the dishwasher together, and clean the cat box together. We go to the vet together, do the laundry together, take care of our rental property together, and clean our condo together. Everything feels very fair.

3.       We are great with our money. We pay our bills together every weekend and help each other stay accountable with bills and expenses. To have fairness and support with money means the world to me.

4.       We eat a lot of meals together, especially since the pandemic began. This fellowship is wonderful.

5.       We pray and meditate together. I cannot even describe in words the value I get from this. It is an experience not to be missed. Praying with my wife starts my day right, and it is something we have done every day now for ten years.

We also have two beautiful cats who make us smile every day. They are a big part of our family.

These things I mention here are wonderful, and I will tell you now the best part of living together with my beautiful wife.

The best thing is that I get to live under the same roof with the person who I want to spend the rest of my life with. There is no greater satisfaction than knowing that I have someone who will always be there for me, and who will help me navigate the difficulties of life. I get to share my joys, my pain, my defeats, my victories. Yes, I’m talking about the joys of marriage. But I’m also talking about proximity. Sitting on the couch together at night talking about my day gives me immense comfort.

At the end of the day, I curl up next to my love and I thank God for another blessed day with the love of my life. I don’t know how many of these wonderful moments God will give me with my amazing wife, but I’m sure grateful for the ten years of living together we have had so far.

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