10 years together

10 years. This weeks marks 10 years since Melissa and I officially recognized ourselves as a couple. I remember how hard it was to work up the courage to write a letter to Melissa telling her that I wanted to take our friendship to another level and identify ourselves as boyfriend/girlfriend. The difficulty for me had was mostly that I wasn't quite sure what it meant to be in a "dating" relationship. I recognized that with that letter we would officially be a couple and I didn't have any idea what she, or anyone else for that mater, expected of me. So, I labored over a letter trying to explain my feelings and my desires for a committed relationship. I even put on a disclaimer explaining that I didn't know what I was getting into. The next day I folded it up, and in a childish way I sort of threw it in her lap in the high school choir room and hurried away. I had spent so much energy getting the words on paper just right that I didn't want to mess them up with spoken words.

Fortunately for me, Melissa felt much the same way and she made a similar commitment to me. I am not sure what I was thinking, but I know that for me it was a decision to treat her with respect and love until she refused to accept it. I guess it was a good decision, because here I am today, ten years later, thinking romantically about both the past and the future. What a ride!