March 23: Why I believe in love by Jillyan77

Jillyan's post moved us so much, how could we NOT feature it our Blog Bash? Happy Anniversary Jill and Steve!!

My five year wedding anniversary is March 20th and I want to share with everyone why I believe in love. I believe in love because of my parents. I was a lucky kid. As a child never once did I doubt how much my parents loved each other. Sure, they fought, what married couple with three daughters wouldn't? But I always knew that their marriage was, and still is, based on a strong foundation of love. It was obvious in the way my dad would look at my mom. Or the way she would get up in the mornings to fix his lunch for work and kiss him good-bye before he left. I remember seeing their affectionate hugs and pecks on the cheek.

And my husband only reaffirms why I believe in love. He has always been there for me. He has helped me work through many phobias, has been a pillar of strength during difficult times and is often times pure entertainment. I love our Sundays together. When the housecleaning is done, neither one of us has work to do and our home is quiet. We often just sit together. We don't even have to talk. Many times we sit side by side, reading our books with music playing in the background. And it isn't unusual if we have multiple furry friends on our laps. To me those moments are perfect and precious.

As many of you know, last year was a hard year for the two of us and our families. I had to have an emergency hysterectomy when large cysts and tumors were found in my uterus and on my ovaries. Even more alarming was my husband being diagnosed with cancer in the summer. We went through a lot, first with my surgery and six week recovery in the spring and then with his surgery, chemotherapy and radiation that began in the summer and ended in the fall. And, like my parents, we had our moments where we fought but we were always able to work out our differences. We made sacrifices and always found strength in each other. And while we are still unsure if the cancer is gone and if it is what the odds are of it coming back I know that no matter the outcome I still have a wonderful man that I love and who loves me. I am confident that we can handle it. If it weren't for the love that I believe so strongly in I don't know how we would have overcome the past year.

There's something special about the way he looks at me. The warmth in his smile, the way his eyes crinkle in the corners when he is truly happy and the sound of his laugh makes that love even stronger. I love my husband more than I ever thought imaginable. I always dreamed of finding a man that loved me as much as my father loved my mother and I know without I doubt that I have found it.

And, since this is my blog I have decided to post photos of our wedding. It was a wonderful, intimate wedding held at a bed and breakfast with only fourteen guests and the innkeepers in attendance.