Day 3-Your first love

My first love...wow this one is hard...I guess I will start by going through the different phases of love in my life. I didn't really date in high school as much as I had crushes which I thought at the time was love, but turns out as I look back all is was was a crush. I didn't have my first real boyfriend til college which turned out to be a on and off 6 year relationship. I would say that we loved each other, and that relationship will always hold a special place in my heart because I grew up in the relationship, but looking back even though it taught me a lot of what it is like to be in a relationship, it wasn't real lasting love.

My second long term relationship I thought I was in love, but I realized after that I could never show all of myself to that person. There was always something that I was holding back. It was a relationship that I had in my mid-twenties that really taught me who I was as a person and what I wanted and expected out of a relationship. Hiding part of who you are to please another is never a good idea. One thing I learned it to love unconditionally, which my parents instilled in all three of us. But real love isn't just loving unconditionally, but is also having someone love you unconditionally back. I think I was just in love with the idea of being in love.

Which brings me to my one and only true everlasting love, my husband, Chris. I guess the saying third times a charm worked in my case...I just think that God saved the best for last. He is the one person in my life that I can just be me. I don't have to pretend I am something I'm not. I don't have to be afraid that if I tell him something or if I do something wrong he'll leave. He loves me unconditionally. Being in love is a choice that is made every day to love the other person. That's what unconditional love is. Being there no matter what and loving that person through everything. The following is something that I believe speaks to the relationship that Chris and I have...This is part of what was read at our wedding that defines not only our real love but also having that real love with God as the center...God will lead you into such situations that will bless you and develop your characters as you walk together. He will give you enough tears to keep you tender, enough hurts to keep you compassionate, enough of failure to keep your hands clenched tightly in His, and enough success to make you sure you walk with Him. May you never take each other's love for granted, but always experience that wonder that exclaims "Out of all this world you have chosen me." And that is what real love is to me. I have chosen Chris and he has chosen me, and I couldn't have ever asked for more...I love you, Chris.