My second husband has taught me what it's like to love someone romantically, unconditionally. His trust and faith in himself and in me helped me define my life and I am a better person for it.

Without him, I do not know if I would have been able to trust another man. I do not know if I would have been able to find happiness or joy.

His love has helped me create love from the ashes of the once-burned girl I used to be. I will be forever thankful and grateful for his presence in my life.

He has made me become the person I never knew I could be- A loving, stable wife and mother who embraces life.

 What made me love HIM? Out of all the people in the world, why this man?

I could blame it on the Texas sky... The way it lit up his eyes when he spoke, when I looked at him.

I could blame it on his parents... His sharp wit, good looks, and honest nature.

I could even say it was my fault, how fast I feel for him, rebounding from my first marriage which was had been a complete shamble from the beginning.

But I won't. It wouldn't be fair.

The love that I have for him is a reflection of the love he has for me.

The love that I have for my second husband is... unconditional.

He taught me that, though I have had failures, I am not one. I am better than that.

He taught me that my words mean something, not just to myself, but to him. He loves the sound of my voice, even if I complain sometimes.

He taught me that though I am a mother, I was a woman first. That I am allowed bad' days, days where I'd rather stay in bed in my pajamas, when our teenagers pushed and pushed and pushed and I was ready to sit in a corner, rock, and braid my hair. He'd take care of things.

He taught me that I didn't have to be perfect, just perfectly me. That's who he loved, no matter her many flaws, and he didn't want anyone else.

He has taught me to listen by listening. He has taught me to be grateful by thanking God that I am in his life. He has taught me to see beauty in the world and that I am beautiful...

He taught me that, though I had been burned by a man, I could trust again. That not all men were bad, or harmful, or cheated, or hurt...

He has taught me to forgive myself for mistakes that I have made, that I am only human. He has showed me how to be a better person in the process.

He taught me that life could be good. That just because a routine was daily, it didn't have to be boring or dull, and sometimes just cuddling up on the couch after a long day beat the hell out of going out with friends for shop therapy.

He taught me that, after almost 17 years together; it was possible for someone to love someone so much, that each touch is as charged and electric as it was that first year together. He has told me that he never gets tired of looking at me, touching me, and I have learned to believe him.

With his tender ministrations as a husband, as my best friend, he has taught me that love can be found even after you've given up on it.

Through our trails and tribulations, he has been by my side. Never wavering, never shy or worried, he has kept his promises to me, and those loving vows we shared, long after I doubted it was possible.

He has given me security and comfort, love and affection, and he has let me find myself along the way.

Through his eyes, I help to define myself, because his picture of me is far more kind and loving than the one that I created for myself so many years ago.

He is not my other half' because we are both whole people. He is all that I want and all that I never knew that I needed, wrapped up in a wonderfully adorable package.

He is my Lover and my companion. He is my rock. He is the keeper of my heart. My knight in shiny armor(-or ACU's)!

Without him, what he has helped me become would have never been. I would have been lost without the lessons I have learned together with him.

He is my husband and he has taught me the true meaning of unconditional, romantic love, and there are no higher lessons than those of unconditional love.

He IS my very heart...He has taught me to live!

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