Today is the anniversary of the first time I contacted my wife. My first email was sent on the first of May, and she read it on the second, so at the end of every first of May I email her a poem to be opened on the second. Here is this year’s effort:

Eighteen Years Ago

Eighteen years ago, I sat and struggled to decide
If sending a strange girl a note would start a downward slide,
Or if that step outside my comfort zone,
Into the digital unknown,
Would join me with a gentle soul in whom I could confide.

I trembled at the thought of reaching out and getting burned,
Now looking back I can see the many things I’ve learned:

I’ve learned how to communicate and how to bare my soul,
How to look at my old wounds in ways that make me whole,
How to trust and compromise, how to build a home,
Taking charge of more than just the simple things I own,

Loving you for who you are, not who I hope you’ll be,
While journeying together towards full maturity.
Your imperfections are a joy, as is your sense of fun,
Your warmth and vulnerability are how my heart was won.

So take my hand, let’s venture on into the great unknown,
Following the one who sits upon His rightful throne.
We’ll fall and fail and miss the mark, and let each other down,
Yet He will help us back on track towards our promised crowns.

Armed with grace and mercy, we will overcome the foe,
Who behind his rage and lies knows he can’t overthrow
The Holy One of Israel, the King above all kings,
Who offers us a glory far outweighing troubling things

That we witness in the world, that tempt us to lose hope,
When all we see each day is just the next few feet of slope.
His greatness dwarfs all that we face, His power is supreme;
Hope in him is surer than the mightiest regime.

I’ll hold your hand and comfort you when the days seem bleak,
When illness strikes, or time’s harsh wheels make our arms grow weak.
I said “I do”, I meant it, and I’ll never take it back;
Together we will shine His light to souls lost in the black.