So we celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary this 6 September, I ask myself
what our ten years mean to me.
Ten years is
... living with your chronic, progressive, painful inflammatory rheumatic disease and learning to cope with the sneaky attacks that give you excruciating pain and cripple your everyday life.
Ten years is
... having your parents live with us because I know your sense of responsibility is so strong that you cannot bear to have them live on their own.
Ten years is
... supporting you through your days as a postgraduate student and being so happy when you were conferred the doctoral title that people thought I was the one with the PhD!
Ten years is
... laughing at my stupid jokes every.single.time.
Ten years is
... being angry with people who belittle me and swearing to get even!
Ten years is
... having complete faith in me and trusting my intuition about people.
Ten years is
... shopping with me at kate spade so often that all the sales people know you and greet you with a big smile!
Ten years is
... waking earlier than me on Sundays to cook so that I can have a delicious meal the minute I wake.
Ten years is
... queuing with me into the wee hours just because I had promised to get a Hello Kitty doll for a good friend.
Ten years is
... taking leave to accompany me on my PhD residentials twice a year and doing all the cooking and washing because you want me to focus on my studies.
Ten years is
...deciding to document my life in England even though photography is not your interest so that you can share the photos with my parents and they can have a glimpse of my life as a PhD student.
Ten years is
... making the effort to spend time with my parents and arrange dinner dates with my siblings.
Ten years is
... pretending not to see how fat I have grown and telling me ever so often that I'm smart and beautiful.
Ten years is
... crying with me when I shared about our infertility with church friends.
Ten years is
... supporting my decision not to attend church on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day because when our pastor asked all the mothers and fathers to stand, he makes me feel that we have the parts but not the goods and that cuts like a knife.
Ten years is
... going through the fertility treatment with me, learning to use needles and syringes and looking very sorry every time you give me an injection.
Ten years is
... agreeing to let me adopt a dog because you understand that our childlessness has left a big void in my heart.
Ten years is
... travelling for over an hour by bus and train from your work place to mine because you know that my work is a drag and seeing you after work is the highlight of my day.
Ten years is
... talking about our day face-to-face or via Skype every day for the last ten years because without that we cannot fall asleep.
Ten years is
... all the prayers, love and anger, hugs and kisses, laughter and tears, holding hands and heated quarrels, and more than words can say.
Ten years is you and me wrapped in happiness, joy and sorrow.
They are the best years of my life and I pray we have many, many more such blessed years together.
Happy anniversary, my dearest J! :) Every day, I thank God for you.
p.s. I love you to the moon and back.
Ten years is
... living with your chronic, progressive, painful inflammatory rheumatic disease and learning to cope with the sneaky attacks that give you excruciating pain and cripple your everyday life.
Ten years is
... having your parents live with us because I know your sense of responsibility is so strong that you cannot bear to have them live on their own.
Ten years is
... supporting you through your days as a postgraduate student and being so happy when you were conferred the doctoral title that people thought I was the one with the PhD!
Ten years is
... laughing at my stupid jokes every.single.time.
Ten years is
... being angry with people who belittle me and swearing to get even!
Ten years is
... having complete faith in me and trusting my intuition about people.
Ten years is
... shopping with me at kate spade so often that all the sales people know you and greet you with a big smile!
Ten years is
... waking earlier than me on Sundays to cook so that I can have a delicious meal the minute I wake.
Ten years is
... queuing with me into the wee hours just because I had promised to get a Hello Kitty doll for a good friend.
Ten years is
... taking leave to accompany me on my PhD residentials twice a year and doing all the cooking and washing because you want me to focus on my studies.
Ten years is
...deciding to document my life in England even though photography is not your interest so that you can share the photos with my parents and they can have a glimpse of my life as a PhD student.
Ten years is
... making the effort to spend time with my parents and arrange dinner dates with my siblings.
Ten years is
... pretending not to see how fat I have grown and telling me ever so often that I'm smart and beautiful.
Ten years is
... crying with me when I shared about our infertility with church friends.
Ten years is
... supporting my decision not to attend church on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day because when our pastor asked all the mothers and fathers to stand, he makes me feel that we have the parts but not the goods and that cuts like a knife.
Ten years is
... going through the fertility treatment with me, learning to use needles and syringes and looking very sorry every time you give me an injection.
Ten years is
... agreeing to let me adopt a dog because you understand that our childlessness has left a big void in my heart.
Ten years is
... travelling for over an hour by bus and train from your work place to mine because you know that my work is a drag and seeing you after work is the highlight of my day.
Ten years is
... talking about our day face-to-face or via Skype every day for the last ten years because without that we cannot fall asleep.
Ten years is
... all the prayers, love and anger, hugs and kisses, laughter and tears, holding hands and heated quarrels, and more than words can say.
Ten years is you and me wrapped in happiness, joy and sorrow.
They are the best years of my life and I pray we have many, many more such blessed years together.
Happy anniversary, my dearest J! :) Every day, I thank God for you.
p.s. I love you to the moon and back.
