A Gift for Mom! 🤍

To the outside world, our love may not be obvious but it’s deeper than it ever was.

We might not hold hands as often or as much but that’s not an accurate depiction of our bond.

Becoming mom and dad fulfilled an innate shared desire.

From the moment we confirmed our suspicion I was pregnant our relationship began to metamorphosize.

Pre pink line, our time was our own. Sleep was readily available, late night excursions through drive-thru were weekly, and date night was cheap.

Post bringing our bundle of joy home we’re grasping for sleep, changing endless diapers, giving baths and playing on the floor.

Our time now consists of a quick kiss before you leave for work, maybe some pillow talk and once a week watching half a show before starting the bedtime routine.

To the outside, it may appear that our bond is not as strong.

In all honesty, it’s the complete opposite.

From the moment our baby was created to welcoming her into the world and all the moments after that our love has grown deeper, more committed and stronger.

Our shared experiences are what bond us.

The fear of becoming parents, the vulnerability of a postpartum body and the sacrifices we daily make so our child can have the best life possible.

It’s in these moments that the quality of our love is tested and refined.

Once you’ve been seen at your worst, throwing up, leaking milk, and with a floppy stomach, there’s nothing left to hide.

It was in those moments that love was manifested. When you held my hair as I puked yet again, went to almost every midwife appointment, brought me food while I nursed around the clock and never made me feel less than beautiful.

The temporary physical imperfections are part of the vessel that brought forth this gift.

Yes, we may have less time for each other. I might look tired and barely wear makeup anymore. We hardly get out alone. That is not a reflection of our love and appreciation for each other.

I know without a doubt you love me deeply, unconditionally and would do anything for me and our daughter.

That is attractive. That is honoring your vows.

That is love.

Yes, these days are tough but we’re doing it . . . together. We’re building something together. We’re not coasting, we’re not taking the easy road. We’re building our life together and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

At the end of the day, my heart is overflowing with gratitude.

I wouldn’t appreciate any of this had it been easy.

You are faithful and kind. That is worth so much more than anything material.

You may also like:

Husband, I Love You More

We’re In a Season of Life Right Now Where Our Marriage isn’t About Romance, it’s About Remembering Us

Husband, We Make the Very Best Team

So God Made a Grandmother book by Leslie Means

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A GRANDMA

Order Now!

Courtney Kramer

Courtney is a Professional Home Economist with a degree in Nutrition and Families from Western University. She enjoys writing, reading, listening to podcasts and spending her days with her 10-month-old daughter. 

Divorce Gave Me Something My Marriage Never Did

In: Marriage
Woman taking off wedding ring

It began the way many stories do: with certainty. I met him when I was 19, and I believed that meant something lasting. We built a life out of promises—marriage, three daughters, a red brick house meant to signal security. What I didn’t understand then was how control can hide inside comfort, and how love can become a performance that slowly erases you. He was never patient but always right, always sure. At first, I mistook that for confidence. Later, I saw it for what it was: control masked as calm. Little by little, I stopped deciding. I stopped offering...

Keep Reading

The Life I Love Was Built From the Life That Broke Me

In: Living, Marriage
Family of four

In my early- to mid-twenties, everything felt like it was unraveling. I was depressed, uninspired, dealing with health issues I didn’t fully understand, and carrying the weight of past trauma I didn’t yet have the language for. At the same time, I was wading through a dating pool that felt more like I was unintentionally starring in an episode of Punk’d, all while still carrying the scars of a serious relationship that ended in betrayal—cheating that didn’t just break my heart, but shattered my sense of trust in a way I wasn’t prepared for. For a while, I stayed there....

Keep Reading

The Hardest Part of Divorce Is Being Away from My Kids

In: Living, Marriage, Motherhood
Woman in driver's seat

I’ve written several times about how divorce has allowed me to find myself again, and how that version is even better than the one I was before I was married. All of that is still true. I am happier than I’ve ever been. More confident and sure of myself. I understand my emotions and how to handle myself when things get tough or scary. I am more grounded and calm than I’ve ever been. Truly, I have come out on top. I’ve received comments about how happy I look, how I’m “living my best life with kids only half the...

Keep Reading

Dear Daddy, I Wish You Could See Yourself As We Do

In: Living, Marriage
father with two young children

The side of my husband who is hardest on himself usually shows up late at night. The house is quiet, the kids are finally asleep, and the day has done what it always does—taken everything it could from both of us. That’s usually when it comes out. The voice in his head that tells him he’s not doing enough as a father. Not present enough. Not patient enough. Not good enough. He doesn’t say it lightly. He says it like someone confessing a truth he wishes wasn’t true. Like he’s already measured himself against some invisible standard of fatherhood and...

Keep Reading

To the Woman Who Was Betrayed

In: Living, Marriage
Woman looking off to the fog

He promised you a lifetime, a family, safety, and security. You carried life and brought it into this world for him. Even still, in the trenches of postpartum, he betrayed you. It was never your fault. This is something I’ve fought to tell myself every single day since the day I discovered my marriage was never meant to last. Because the truth is, betrayal is never about you; it’s about them, and the character flaws deep within they’d rather bury than face. He watched as you fought for your life after delivery while your tiny, premature newborn spent the first...

Keep Reading

10 Things I Wish I’d Known Before My Marriage Ended

In: Marriage
Divorce concept

I’m a year and a half into my still-husband filing for a divorce I didn’t see coming (but probably should have), and I’m here to say: hindsight doesn’t yield perfect vision, but it does bring clarity. While that clarity might not always make perfect sense, it does make processing it all a bit more tangible. Here are 10 things I wish I knew before my marriage ended–abruptly and unilaterally. Effort should feel mutual, not one-sided and minimal. The handmade birthday weekend itineraries year after year, the endless putting-him-on-a-pedestal, the desperate asks to go out on actual dates, the late-night research...

Keep Reading

Love Is Saying “I’m Still Here”

In: Marriage
Smiling couple in selfie

Some days don’t feel romantic at all. They feel like alarms going off too early, coffee gone cold, kids who need everything at once, and a to-do list that keeps growing no matter how much you check off. They feel like passing each other in the kitchen with tired eyes and half-finished sentences. They feel like wondering how it’s only Tuesday. And yet, somewhere in the middle of all that, there’s this quiet, steady thing holding it together. Not fireworks. Not big, sweeping moments. Just a simple, consistent choice. We’re still in this. Together. Marriage, at its core, isn’t built...

Keep Reading

No One Plans to Wear the “Scarlet Letter” of Divorce

In: Living, Marriage
Couple with backs to each other

Divorce often feels like the scarlet letter no one talks about. Some in our generation may call it “trendy”—particularly as women have become more independent and empowered—but whether it’s socially acceptable or not, it is still a label no woman enters marriage expecting to wear. Women are often self-sacrificing—sometimes to a fault. We give and give until our souls feel nearly drained. And in marriages marked by abuse, substance abuse, infidelity, inconsistency, or dishonesty, we still convince ourselves that if we just give a little more, love a little harder, try a little longer, something will change. Divorce is not...

Keep Reading

I Still Can’t Believe You’re Mine

In: Marriage
Man and woman dressed up dancing

I still can’t believe you’re mine. Lately, I’ve found myself reflecting on how far we’ve come—two babies, multiple moves, and the weight of a world that hasn’t always been kind. There were seasons when things felt uncertain. Seasons when growth hurt. Seasons when staying required more strength than leaving ever would have. I know not everyone believed we would make it this far. But it was always you. God was leading me to you long before I understood it. In ways I couldn’t see at the time, He was writing a story bigger than my fears, bigger than my doubts,...

Keep Reading

True Love Is Built In the Moments No One Sees

In: Marriage
Two pinkies hooked with wedding rings

There is nothing simple about raising a medically complex child. We carry emergency plans the way others carry wallets. Med lists are memorized. Hospital routes are second nature. We measure time in seizures, appointments, medication schedules, and recovery windows. Early Monday morning, after our 10-year-old autistic son was sedated for stitches following a seizure fall, he was sick. My husband held him upright while he vomited. I grabbed towels, trying to catch what I could. We moved in sync—no discussion, no drama, just instinct and practice. And I thought about our marriage. It isn’t glitz and glamour. It’s not candlelit...

Keep Reading