41 Years And Still Counting

Today Mr. Right and I sort of celebrated 41 years as a married couple. We've had our ups and we've had our downs but the rewards of 'hanging in there' are many. I don't want to sound like it's been an endurance run or anything like that. But I suspect that there are rough spots in every marriage and some get through them and some don't. I'm so glad we got through ours. I have a Mr. Right that does almost everything right. He's unfailingly kind, tolerant of my shortcomings, and loving.

But what are the rewards of being together for 41 years?

Nobody, and I do mean nobody, knows me better than he does. And he's still here!!!! And there's nobody, and I do mean nobody, that I can count on when I need reassurance and support, more than I can count on him. He's my best friend and my most loyal ally.

I don't feel that it's always been like this. Our relationship has evolved over the years. We've always cared about each other but it hasn't always been this easy. At some point I quit worrying about the things that newer marrieds worry about. At some point, I finally became comfortable and fairly confident that I was the one that he really wanted to be with. And at some point, I realized that he would still love me despite my extra 20 pounds and wrinkles (oh the wrinkles!)

So it's a very special day for me. I say that we 'sort of' celebrated because he's at work right now. I worked days and he worked evenings. But if he liked the card I gave him, half as much as I loved the card he gave me, then he's still feeling a warm glow and very real happiness that we've shared 41 years as a married couple.