Today marks the 18th
anniversary when Judy and I pledged our love in good times and in bad, in
sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, until death do us part. What I realized then, still holds true today:
I married my best friend in the whole wide world.
Eighteen years have gone by like a blink
of an eye, and in that time we have already shared a lifetime of
experiences. Along the way we have
widened a circle of friendship which has enriched both of our lives. We have also witnessed good friends and
parents pass on to the next life, all the while standing by each other's side
in comfort and support.
Since I began this blog in January, I have
chronicled my struggle with PTSD and have shared it with you, my readers. For the better part of our marriage I
struggled with the disorder, not fully understanding the extent of the effect
that it would have on others (most notably, Judy). I never dealt with conflict in a rational manner. I know there must have been many times when
Judy wanted to bang her head off a wall when I acted like one of her third
graders. I opened up to my counselor and
told her that a lesser person might have walked away from this situation. Judy did not, and that has been the key to my
successful recovery. That, my friends,
is how I know that I am married to my best friend.
Earlier this summer, we made our third
trip to Hawaii and spent 10 days on the Big Island. I had decided that as a way to honor Judy for
the woman and friend that she is, I would surprise her with a renewal of our
vows at the Old Kona Airport State Park.
This, by far was the most beautiful place on the planet to which we have
bore witness. A couple of days after the
ceremony we joked that this was truly our second honeymoon. While driving back from the Volcano, we heard
a song on the radio titled Love and
Honesty by the Hawaiian Style Band. We both remarked that the lyrics to the
song captured the essence of that night perfectly. Listen to the following YouTube video which will
transport you back to that night as we experienced it.
Happy Anniversary, my best friend.
Love Always and Forever,
Tim
Aloha from Kona, Hawaii. This is such a wonderful report. It was such a delight meeting you both and a joy to be able to photograph your celebration here on the Big Island. Wishing you both a world of Love, Joy and Peace for many years to come.
ReplyDeleteThanks again so much for everything Glen. The first picture in this post is one of my favorites. :)
ReplyDelete