To Dave, February 2, 1998, the day of our wedding
Because
I am marrying you because...
with you I feel like I have come home to a place where I am finally understood.
With you I can be more uniquely myself--you give me the courage to push past the self-imposted barriers and do the things I was afraid I couldn't do.
I am marrying you because you smell right
and I can think of no other scent I would rather smell at the beginning or end of every day.
I love the deep, rich brown of your eyes and your soft fuzzy hair.
I am marrying you because you are my equal--you match my passion and outrage at the injustice in the world.
Yet you are distinctly different in many wonderful and interesting ways--therefore you challenge me to think through my beliefs.
I love you because you're stubborn--as stubborn as I am. And I love you because you are willing to keep listening and keep talking until we understand our differences.
I am marrying you because you remind me to stop worrying so much and to take care of myself.
And I love you because you give me all the nurturing and romance I had always dreamed of but never found.
In the words of Leslea Newman:
You love me so good
I'm not used to it.
