The Beginnings- Jerry's Story

I had given up on finding someone to share my life with. I was in and out of relationships of all kinds. Healthy ones, disasterous, boring and outright taxing. I had also come to the conclusion that I'd never be able to trust any partner while I was in the military. Soon as I'd leave for duty, even for only a short while, I'd lose the person I was with. Then I deployed.

With all the time I had on deployment, I enjoyed a lot of self reflection and personal time with God. I prayed for the impossible. The perfect mate. Someone that I could laugh and love with. A woman I could trust without thought. One that I could share memories with until we were old and gray and unable to remember anything. A wife that would be my perfect vision of a mother to my children. A partner I could depend on in my worst moments, that I could show my weakest sides to without fear of losing her. A friend that I could sit with on Saturday afternoons and travel with on misguided adventures.

A vision of beauty that would hold my undivided attention. A muse that would inspire me to always put my best foot forward and never grow so comfortable that I felt I had won and no longer needed to woo. A Juliet who possessed the passion to accept my over-the-top romance. Stable enough to steady me, but spontaneous enough to stay on her feet and follow the flow. She would love me, without idolizing me. Respect without fear. And these are just the beginnings of what I was praying for.

Reading all that reminds me how impossible the task I asked of God. When I got home, He delivered. To my amazement, not only did I find this eluvise perfect woman for me, she was in the same spot I was. Tired of the sport and games of dating, and looking for one man to fit the bill.

I didn't want to meet Amanda when our mutual friend Jeremy first starting insisting I come out for a drink. She was beautiful, and even if I did stand a chance, I knew she had a daughter and more to lose than I did. I didn't trust myself to not let this friend of a friend down. I knew my intentions, and as a soldier returning from Iraq, it's not difficult to guess what those were. But he finally convinced me, and I knew after a short conversation and small kiss, that night was the start to what I'd always asked for.

Amanda and I have one of the most important ingredients to a healthy relationship, in addition to our shared faith: communication. We have discussed at length what we desire and what we fear. We agreed to not fall into our old traps that had been the ruin of so many other attempts at happiness. And now we share a wonderful life and look forward to the future. I love Amanda and her daughter, Jolie, as my own.

Through our postings we hope to share our lives as an example to others, and also just to post a bunch of pictures and videos and stories of happiness and laughter. To quote a great song, " God blessed the broken road, that led me straight to you." Hopefully, we can leave a map here for others, and more importantly, a map back home for us should we ever stray. So here's to the future!