Love Is Enough

I believe love is enough. Almost three months ago now, I married the only man I have ever loved. The last six and a half years have been a rough road, to say the very least, but it was worth it if you ask me.

I fell in love with Stephen when I was 19 years old. He was 26. I knew he was special the very first night I met him. A mutual friend introduced the two of us after a church service one Friday evening. I missed him already the next day.

We became good friends that first year, but I wanted more. I haven’t always been great about making up my mind or knowing what I want out of life, but I knew I wanted him. I decided to be really brave one day, and I confessed my feelings. He didn’t react the way I had hoped, but a few weeks later he surprised me and kissed me. It was my first kiss, and a pretty amazing one at that. And then, only a few weeks later, he broke my heart…for the first time. We didn’t speak for a while, but eventually started talking again. And this cycle continued for a few years.

I moved to LA. I started a non-profit organization. I backpacked across Europe. I did everything I wanted to do, but always wished he were there to share the experiences with me. I still loved him. I had always loved him. For some reason, a part of me just never gave up. It felt foolish, but I was there whenever he needed me. I dated other guys, but he was the only one I could see myself growing old with; the only one I wanted to go on this journey through life with. And I often wondered, “why isn’t love enough?”

I moved to Seattle in 2007, ready to move on for good, and suddenly this long-time dream of mine started to become a reality. Stephen had started going to counseling and was working through some long-standing issues. He began sharing about his sessions, which led to us talking more. Our relationship grew over the next few months, but something was different this time. It felt real. It felt balanced. I began falling in love with my best friend all over again.

I moved back home to California, and a couple of months later he proposed. All of those years of unconditional love that I thought he had taken for granted were acknowledged and affirmed in that beautiful moment.

It has been a long journey already, but I feel like our real journey is just beginning. The path wasn’t at all how I imagined it would be, but I am grateful for it. I’m finally in the place that I’ve been searching for for all of these years. I’m finally home. And all because of love. I believe love is enough.