Hey, I wanted to share this. Today is our 12th anniversary.

[EFerrari]

And we'd made plans and yesterday, there was an eruption of fright and ugliness. And we took care of it and instead of fancyness, today we just were grateful for weather and ordered a great anniversary pizza.

Everything I love in my life is in my life because of Doug and because of learning how to make our lives liveable and kind.

Some gifts, you just have to appreciate a little more deliberately.

:toast:

[DemExpat]

1. Congratulations and best wishes, Beth,

for you and your love.

DemEx

[EFerrari]

2. Thank you. It's a good deal to get at least this far.

:)

[Random_Australian]

3. Congrats, best wishes a lovely anniversary pizza and a bright future to

you both.

[EFerrari]

6. Thank you, Random_Australian!

:)

[NMMNG]

4. Congratulations!

:toast: :hug:

[EFerrari]

7. Back acha, Buffy

:hug:

[shrike]

5. What a beautiful picture

Congrats to you both.

[EFerrari]

8. It is beautiful. When the photographer took Doug to the beach

I thought, that's a mistake. You always think you're going to get a good shot but never do. I was so wrong. He won the AP portrait prize with it that year.

[shrike]

10. You're kidding. Really?

Not that I'm surprised it won a prize . . .

[mopinko]

9. congratulations to you both.

may you have many, many more.
it is kind of amazing when you sort through so much to have a relationship that is what it is, and what it can be, and that is all. it is so easy for the fantasy of a perfect person and a perfect life to make reality suck by comparison.
i have been trudging though things with my daughter lately, and getting much better. she is finally starting to grasp how ill i have been, and what that means about how i feel about her. ie- taking care of her has been very hard, not because i don't love her, but because i was swamped with my own poor health. that doesn't mean that her own unmet needs don't hurt, but it does mean that she doesn't have to feel unloved.
and isn't that true for everyone? if you can love and accept someone for who they are, and they can love you for who you are, you have all there is.
and i love that pic, too. from what i know of doug, it seems to capture him perfectly.