A Letter to My Beloved & His Letter to Me

Caution: Tissues necessary, and a post not for the sensitive.

PART I:

My Darling and Keeper of my Heart,

I placed such a burden on you today. These last six months we together have walked towards that skinny pregnancy indicator stick after the time was up, holding hands and then holding each other when we saw just the one lonely test line. This morning as you left for work, you prayed for me. You also prayed for you as you knew you would need it if it meant breaking my heart. I left you with the burden of finding out our fate - alone.

Do you know what this week is? It's our twelve year anniversary of us being together. Twelve years ago today in front of my house in Guatemala, is when you akwardly told me after six months of getting to know each other that you "Liked me More Than a Friend". You know even back then you were the perfect guardian of my heart. You had a well thought out plan to protect our friendship. You were afraid that if you confessed that you knew that I was the one you wanted to marry and jump to there before I was ready that it may destroy the beautiful friendship that developed.

I just thought you weren't very romantic and not that serious. Hence my answer of "Well, I probably shouldn't be dating anyone right now since I'll be leaving for the states in six months."

You know what happened after that. You kissed me the next day and we were dating four days later. So much for not dating anyone that I would then have to leave.

We survived the long distance relationship - Ohio to Guatemala. We wrote letters, expensive phone calls, faxed, and sent emails, thank God for this new thing called EMAIL! I used to have to run to the neighbors' house who had internet connection. It was so hard, but we survived it.

12 years later and you still have been the perfect guardian of my heart. I love you more than words can say. Thank you for bearing that burden for me. And thank you forever for the way in which you told me the result. You were so thoughtful and caring. I couldn't help but cry the moment I saw you.

I love you-

Your Darling Wife,
Liv

PART II:

We decided yesterday that no matter what the result, Marvy would be the one to tell me. And there would be a plan as to how it would be regardless a negative or positive result. While still at work I received a text "Okay, come home and change your clothes for something more comfortable since it's so hot outside. I'll then give you your next instructions."

Once I got home I quickly changed my shoes, happy with my clothing selection. I texted him to let him now I was ready. The text back read, "Go to the backyard". I opened the door but didn't see anything. He was behind the bushy tree...He moved our large picnic table to that corner of the backyard and had a tablecloth and table set for two with a single bud rose centerpiece. He approached me with a gift bag and a card, not saying a word. I opened the card and read outloud,

In the course of human events, it is rare that a man gets to do what I get to do, inform his wife that she is pregnant. However, it is also rare that a man gets to be with someone that he loves so much that sometimes it hurts. I am very lucky indeed.

I owe a debt to you that I can never repay. You see, someday when we think about all the joys and sorrows of being a parent, and how it has transformed our lives and how we would never want to go back to life we had before, you will be the reason for this joy. Because if it was up to me to bear the burden that you have to bear, I would never be able to do it. You have given me the greatest gift of all and for that reason plus many others I will always love you my whole life.

So while it may be one, two or possibly three for YOU my dear will be the mother to a baby. So get ready for a little J, K, E or S because life is about to change for my little Liv. And what about me? I must change too. With the Lord's help, I want to be a great father and great husband to you.

-Marvy

P.S. Here's my show for Mel's Show & Tell. It's our beta result. Now go check out what the rest of the class is celebrating.

Show and Tell - Love Story Part 1

Welcome my contribution to Mel's Show and Tell. If you don't know what I'm talking about then you're just missing out and I expect you to go back and show some blogger love.

Speaking of blogger love - I've just love all of you guys for your comments and support. I'm sorry I've been MIA - it's been a week. I think I also need to get a second laptop. Mr. Marvelous and I have too many projects going on the same computer.

Now let's get to the reason we're here. A Love Story Part 1. In order for you to understand how Mr. Marvelous and I met, we're going to have to go back. And I mean way back...

Marvy's grandfather is a fifth generation Texan. Imagine it's the 1940's. He was a tall Scotch- Irish, red-headed, strikingly handsome man with a big personality. He trained as a marine but as timing would have it the war pretty much ended right as he was about to head to Japan. Since the war was over he went back home to South Texas and was a dirt poor crop-duster pilot when eventually he went to work for PanAm.

Marvy's grandmother is Guatemalan. In the 1940's she was a beautiful and sophisticated woman from a family with means. Her father passed away when she was very young and her mother took her father's place in the business he founded years prior. She grew up in an affluent household. One that traveled regularly to the US and Europe. Of course Spanish is her first language, but she speaks excellent English. She even went to boarding school in San Francisco.

Amazingly for that time in the 1940's and given the society for that day in Central America, Marvy's grandmother worked. She was a greeter for PanAm. Think pill hats and white gloved women there to greet the passengers as they walked down the steps- back in the days before jetways. Yup, there we go.

Okay now go back and take a look at the picture at the top. Way in the back is the old Guatemalan Terminal. Look closely and it kind of looks like Casablanca. This is how the young Guatemalan PanAm greeter, meets the strikingly handsome man in the PanAm uniform.

Now it was already bold enough for her to take a job at that time - can you imagine the hoopla when this woman fell in love with a man who had no land or estate to his name and married him? I so wish I could go back in time and be a fly on the wall for that one. Let's just say that she risked much in the way of family support by her actions. Eventually, they did marry and raised three bi-lingual, dual-citizen children - one of which is my father-in-law.

Wanna know what's cool? PanAm and that Guatemalan airport is such a significant piece of Marvy's grandparents history. But I found this photo, taken in 1979 -in my own grandmother's basement in Ohio.