You Know Our Love Was Meant to Be...

As I sit here listening to the lovely lyrical ballads of my childhood I think of my childhood. Barry Manilow, Chicago, Neil Diamond....all those records my dad had in his collection and we listened to ad nauseum and created dance numbers for. Christmas time was a big deal for me and my little sister, we broke out the costumes I had sewn for them (and actually I sewed them into theirs since I wanted them nice and snug). All those little dreams and adventures we had in our heads when we listened to those records. We practiced and practiced dancing around the christmas tree and then made our parents watch while we subjected our little brothers to capes and playing the 'bad guy' in our little charades. What fun. And what fun music. Childhood has some really fun moments and music was such a big part of that. While washing dishes we would since the different parts to 'Fiddler on the Roof', 'My Fair Lady', 'The Little Mermaid', 'The Sound of Music'; and any other romantic, exciting musical I can't remember right now.

Honestly, even though I love all that music to this day it disturbs me a little bit how focused I was on romance at such a young age. We married a little later in life so I like to think that it wasn't all about the white dress and the party afterwards. I knew a lot of girls that really thought it was going to be a fairy tale and no one would ever need to poop or have the flue ever again. The music and movies I had seen were in no way responsible for where I am now in my marriage. If anything they un-prepared me to be married. I wonder if I can expose my girls to all of this wonderful music without having them also pick up on the age-inappropriate romance that came with the movies? Looking back now I can say that I definitely feel all of those romantic ways about my husband that I dreamed about from hearing those songs as a little girl. However, those feelings didn't come immediately and aren't always there...it was after and through all the fighting and selfishness and hard times that come early in a marriage and persist if they AREN'T addressed early on. They came because we are still together despite all of the crap we could throw at each other. So those songs are about the intimacy that comes from hard times and devotion, not a casual glance on a train. They come from being able to depend on each other day in and day out. From learning that we can't always have our own way. So here I want to pay a little tribute to the man that made all of those little girls wildest dreams come true, just by hanging in there and learning how to be in love at the same time as I was. I love you honey. Merry Christmas.