You may not know this about me, but I was married before Tom. It lasted five years and we had two children together: Serenity and Josh (who Tom adopted after we got married). It was not a good marriage and of course there was fault on both sides. I’ve spent a lot time forgiving and moving on. I didn’t want to be one of those people who was still bitter about their ex decades later.
But today I was thinking about the gift of a good marriage. Tom and I have been married for 27 years as of last December. We have been through some really rough times and we have had some arguments of course, but for the most part, we get along really well. I have never for a moment doubted his love and devotion to me and hopefully he can say the same about me. It is mostly thanks to Tom that I am the person I am today. He has supported me wholeheartedly through our entire marriage. When I wanted to open a child care in our home, he supported me. When I wanted to pursue a CDA (Child Development Associate credential), he said sure and stepped up and did everything he could to help. When I decided to go back to college the first time to finish my Associate’s Degree, he supported me. He helped me study; he took care of the kids the multiple nights a week I had to be gone; and he even watched the child care kids one afternoon a week because I had a class that started at 5:30 on Tuesdays. When I decided to go for my Bachelor’s Degree, he supported me again. This one was online which was a whole new level of support lol. He dealt with my meltdowns and freak-outs and always believed in me. He did the same thing when I pursued my Master’s Degree (again online). If it hadn’t been for his support, I would have never had the self-confidence to do any of that and I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing today (running my own training business, teaching college classes and CDA classes).
Having been in a bad marriage, I know how blessed I am to be in a good marriage. I am thankful every day for Tom and our relationship. Thank you Tom for being my person!