I
often hear people say they love their partner more today than they did the day
they married them. To me that sounds a
bit cliché and not quite accurate. Don’t
get me wrong, I don’t love him any less, but I wouldn’t have married him if I
wasn’t head over heels in love with him.
What I can say is that I like him more today than I did the day we were
married. Does that sound strange? Let me try to explain.
We’ve known each other
for 22 years, been together for 20 and married for 18. Of course, I liked him when we got married,
but the more you know someone, the more you like or dislike them. Over the course of these past 18 years I have
gotten to know the man my husband was and watched him mature and grow into the
man he is today. 
He has always supported
me in whatever I want to do and has been my strength when I needed to do things
I couldn’t have done alone. He has never
wavered when my health suffered and has spent many nights on the couch because
he was afraid of disturbing me during the night and he wanted me to get the
best rest possible. I never wonder or
worry about having his support, I know it will be there. Even if he doesn’t agree, he will never let
me stand alone. 
Even now, I learn new
things about him. Sometimes those things
are profound and I can’t believe I didn’t know that already and sometimes, not
so much (like last week when I found out he’s kinda named after Jerry Lewis? Eww).
I’m not saying it’s been
perfect or easy. We have been tested by
illness, our families, and sometimes life in general. Occasionally we get on each other’s nerves
and once or twice a year there may even be a silent treatment thrown in for a
couple hours. However, you will be hard
pressed to see us out and about not holding hands or with my arm in his, we
never go a day without saying “I Love You” at least a couple of times, and he
comes to the bedroom every night to tuck me and the dogs in and give us all
good night kisses.
So, while I love him and
can’t imagine my life without him, I truly like, and have a deep respect for him
as a man, a friend, a lover, a protector, and most of all, as my husband.
