I’ve grown up surrounded by love stories, however, my favorite is my parent’s. Their love story started out as quite the opposite. Back in 1983, on Thanksgiving, my parents met skiing when they shared the same condo. My dad, a rebel/bad boy, and my mom, straight-edge and kind, started off on the wrong foot and it stayed like that for years. They ran in the same circles as they had grown to have the same friends, but nothing changed between them until the fateful Halloween night of 1988. He was dressed in suit and tie and she as the beautiful Cleopatra. He went home that night with two phone numbers, but only one mattered: my mom’s.
They dated for five years and then in 1992, my mom was offered a job in Singapore with the company she worked for. That Christmas, my dad proposed and she made the easy decision to stay in the states with him over moving across the world and starting her life over. She had her masters and was able to stay with the company in Massachusetts so this decision didn’t affect her financially. They were married that following July in the backyard of the house my dad grew up in. It was a small, intimate wedding with a live band filled with magic and love.
They spent their honeymoon just like the rest of their marriage, exploring. Specifically, the wildlife of Alaska in kayaks and tents. They waited three years to have their first kid (me!) and spent those years traveling across the world together just as they had while they were dating. With me in the picture, they took me with them.
Soon, my sister joined our family and she came along to explore the world with us. Then they adopted my brother. When he was diagnosed with cancer, and eventually lost his battle, my family was stronger and closer than ever. My parents stayed strong through it all but still showed their emotions in a healthy manner. A few years later, they adopted my other brother and supported and loved him just as they had/do with their other children. Currently, they are going through the adoption process again and soon, they will have their fifth kid!
They have been through a lot over the last 34 years, but have been there supporting each other through it all. My dad still brings her flowers from their garden. He picks them and puts them in a vase on the kitchen table for her and when those die, he replenishes them with a new bouquet. He is also a musician in a band and she still goes to all of his gigs acting like his own personal groupie.
What I have learned through watching them interact with each other is something I will keep with me for the rest of my life. I know what a healthy and successful relationship looks like and won’t accept anything less. Through their love for each other, the love has spread to us and from us to others. Their children are accepting, loving, empathetic, adventurous, outgoing, spontaneous and fun-loving because of them and their love.