Dear Husband,

I am with you when the bills are built up and unpaid and when our shoulders are tense with stress and worry.

I am with you when the kids are up sick in the middle of the night, and when we brush shoulders as we grab towels and bowls and stroke little warm foreheads.

I am with you in seasons of wealth and seasons of scraping by. I am with you whether we drive a 97 Honda Accord or a 2018 Suburban. I AM WITH YOU.

I am with you when the fridge is full of good things, and I’m with you when we are thinking of new ways to cook potatoes and rice.

I am with you even when it seems like I’m not. Even when I slam the door and storm out of the room, and when I roll to the far side of the bed so you don’t forget that I am mad at you.

I am with you when I laugh at your jokes, and I’m with you when I roll my eyes.

I am with you when you’re hilarious and fun and I’m with you when you’re in that mood that makes me crazy.

I am with you when we have a glass of wine at the end of a defeating day, and I am with you when we pop champagne to celebrate.

I am with you as you struggle to find your dream job. I am with you as you unbury the passions in your heart and make them a reality. I believe in you even when you don’t (I won’t ever stop).

I’m with you when you fail and you say I’m sorry again.

I’m with you when you feel confident in yourself and certain of the future, and I’m with you when you’re struggling and unsure.

You have been with me when I was young and you have been with me when my body was swollen and pregnant. You’ve been with me when I was soaked with milk and when I couldn’t stop crying for days because hormones.

You’ve been with me when I got so mad I was mean.

You’ve been with me when I let my spending get out of hand again. You’ve been with me when I misplaced my 17th debit card and put the keys somewhere I just can’t remember.

You’ve been with me when I ran the car out of gas and when I pulled over and cried because the fog was too thick to see.

You have been with me when I could barely leave the house with anxiety. You’ve been with me at doctors appointments when I was certain something was wrong (it wasn’t).

You’ve been with me when I wanted to give up on my dream to write.

We have been together through miscarriages. We’ve held hands through tragic funerals and we have danced the night away at beautiful weddings.

We’ve been together when important relationships and dreams broke apart and our hearts felt like they were breaking too.

We’ve been together as long sleepless nights with crying babies turned into homework, bedtimes, and making a dozen eggs for breakfast.

You know me better than anyone, and I know you better than everyone.

I am with you.

I am all in, forever.

I choose you no matter what life throws at us.

I love you,

Your wife

This article originally appeared on Wonderoak

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Jessica Johnston

Jessica Johnston is a writer and mom of four kids. She is an avid coffee drinker, risk taker, and TMI sharer. She is a firm believer in keeping it real and believes our imperfections bring us together. She writes at https://wonderoak.com/. You can follow her there, on Facebook, and on Instagram.

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