10. He is a Clown. He can make me laugh even in my most worried/problematic state. Others may think that I play for laughs and he is the serious one, in real life, it’s the opposite.

9. Very generous (He should be thankful that I am not a shopaholic, haha!). One of the reasons why God has been showering him and his family with so much blessings.

8. He makes sure that we still spend time as a couple despite the busy schedule and having 3 kids. Our favorite thing to do? Eat and have coffee at Bonifacio Highstreet. Hopefully in the near future we’ll eat out less but travel more.

7. He is a loving, responsible and supportive father. He prepares everything for the kids’ future and gives them more than what’s expected of him.

6. He is independent, intelligent and street smart… a few of the reasons why I was so sure I should be married to him.

5. Unpredictable and risk-taker. Or else he would be boring.

4. He lets me see his vulnerable side (even Superman has kryptonite) and makes me feel needed.

3. He has taught me so much and made me realize that life is not a fairy tale. What we have shared together (trials, victory, dreams, failure, sickness, joy, tears, laughter, comfort, faith and so much more), as a whole, is irreplaceable.

2. He is very loving and sweet. No need to expound…

1. Most of all, he is God’s gift to me.

Lastly, quoting Roy Croft like he did more than a decade ago in one of his letters,

“I love you, not only for what you are
But for what I am when I am with you.

I love you, not only for what you have made of yourself,
But for what you are making of me.

…. You have done it
Without a touch, Without a word, Without a sign.
You have done it by being yourself.”

Need I say more?

‘I felt I could die happily 13 years ago, hearing the
confession of the guy who for months was the object of
my affection. He was not the boy-next-door-type, he
was never predictable, he was not ordinary… and our
story neither was.   

I have loved him from the very moment I saw him came
out of the fast-food chain that was our meeting place.
He was wearing a red-colored shirt, and so was I.

I thought I loved him more when all we did was spend
our money, mostly his, and do everything together.

I thought my love for him was far greater when all we
had was each other and a couple of bucks in our
pockets.

I thought it was my heart’s peak when he looked at my
eyes and told me that he’ll spend the rest of his life
with me, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in
health…

I thought I’ll have enough of this love… but enough
didn’t came. There was always growth, there was always
more.

More when I delivered our 7.8lbs son, more when he was
operated because of his tumor (praying and thanking
God that it was benign), more when our son is sick and
nobody but ourselves could understand the worry and
pain we feel, more when we learned that we were having
another baby and lost it after few weeks, more when I gave
birth again to another baby boy, more and more when we
laugh ourselves out joking around, and a lot more each
day when unknowingly we were getting strength from
each other by just being together.

I’m glad I didn’t die happily 13 years ago, I could
not have experienced life.’

April 3, 1995 was the day that we became special friends. This date is very important to us because we both believe that it was the day that God made us one. Our civil and church weddings just formalized our union for legal and religious conformity, the reason why we seldom mark their dates.

Now, 13 years and 2 kids after, a fancy dinner ahead in mind, Gary and I are still overwhelmed with this relationship that God has blessed us with. We continue to seek God’s unending grace to strengthen more the foundation of our marriage and family.

 A toast to Gary, Yeye, Marcus, Zach and most important of all… God Almighty!

Then my friend asked me the ultimate question, “How do I know if he’s the one?”
Hah! The question I never get tired of answering,
the question I find it easy to answer but seems so hard to explain…

“You’ll just know…”

I silently enumerated all the reasons that made us strengthen our decision… commitment, shared interests, unselfishness, physical attraction, communication, trust, faith…

Ooops! Let us not forget laughter… it’s the icing on the cake.

There is Understanding.
I now understand why he must play poker or go out with his brods,
And he also understands that once in a while I should be taken out on a fancy restaurant, see new places, and also meet some friends.

There is Sharing.
Not only do we share household worries and parental burdens – we also share ideas. I always tell Gary the new things I learn everyday, and Gary lets me experience all the beautiful things he knows. He also talks about his dreams, and asks me what do I think of it…

There is Forgiveness.
When I lost or misplaced something important, Gary forgives me.
When he forgets to do something I asked him to do, I shrug my shoulder and say, “It’s okay.”

There is Growth.
Now…
I do not worry much, especially on financial needs.
He spends more time with me, Marcus and Zach and thinks of himself less.

There is sensitivity.
I try to stay strong when things for him seems tough.
He, on the other hand, just makes me laugh when things get too serious…

There is faith.
When everything seems to be going against our hopes…
When all our efforts seem futile…
We stay with what we believe… “We keep the faith”

There is Knowing.
I know Gary hates to throw garbage; he’ll be late to most appointments and he spends most of his time at home blogging or watching TV.
He knows that I cry when I’m happy, I cry when I’m sad, I cry when I’m angry, I cry when I’m frustrated, I cry when I’m exhausted, I cry when I’m not feeling well…

Finally, there is Blessing.
Blessing from the family…
Most importantly, Blessing from Above…

I cannot imagine myself sharing and doing all these things other than with Gary.

“You’ll just know…”

She nodded and smiled.

I smiled back.