Me and My Valentine...

Why wait for Valentine's Day to share your heart...This is me and my best friend in the whole wide world, my husband Mike. I can't even begin to tell you what a gift God has given me in this man. Through thick and thin God has given us strength to be committed to each other and our marriage.

Statistics are against us. We have special needs kids. And apparently the divorce rate escalates with having kids with cancer.

"After the initial, life-changing diagnosis of a child with a disability, many parents face more than just the reality of the challenges their child will have for a lifetime. Parents soon become aware of a long-repeated 'statistic' that the divorce rate is 80-90% when a child has special needs."

But we haven't let that stop us. We have fought hard to keep our marriage strong. And let's be honest. It's not just been us. It's God helping sustain us. It's challenging to make the time to be together and to talk and communicate.

I just want to say thank you to all the people who have helped us stay strong. Given us date nights through gift cards or watching our kids. Helped us financially in the midst of cancer treatment during which Mike couldn't work because he was Samuel's full-time caregiver while I cared for the other four kids.

We have been committed to dating each other. Talking to each other and working through hard issues. We've had years of counseling. Years upon years of hardship and trial.

I wouldn't trade any of the difficulty or struggle if it meant not having Mike. I love him so much and he's been my best partner in this adventurous life of ours.

Mike- Thanks for being there Babe. Thanks for loving me at my most unloveable moments. Thanks for reminding me of the truth even when I don't want to hear it. Thank you for your faithfulness and perseverance in the midst of pain, heartache, misfortune and tragedy. So grateful God has given me you to walk through this life. Can't wait to see what God has for us!