My Beloved

After almost a quarter of a century
The golden thread of you
Weaves its joy through my life

Your love has been constant
Unendingly selfless
Faithful and true

Promising for better or for worse
The depth of joys and sorrows life would bring
Were incomprehensible to my twenty-something self

Through laughter and tears
Misunderstandings and snuggles
Prayers and whispers long into the night

Wiser now I know
The next quarter of a century
Will be laced with unimaginable joy and unfathomable pain

Given the chance to turn the clock back
With a tear running down my cheek
My forty-something self
Would say, “I do” all over again.

For there is no one else I’d rather do life with than you,
My Beloved.