17 Years and Counting…

Last weekend marked Cory’s and my 17th wedding anniversary. In some respects it feels like yesterday, and in others it feels like a lot longer. We have experienced so much in the years between I do and now; two children, multiple houses, residing in a few different cities and several jobs. With much more peppered in between. We have had our share of highs and lows and ho-hums, our seasons of great joy and deep sorrow. I can’t express how grateful I am that we persevered through it all.

I would not want to be going through this ALS journey without him. Before I got sick we spent time together, but it was different. I wouldn’t have considered him my best friend. I don’t mean that to sound harsh…I loved him obviously, but I had more in common with my girlfriends. Now, one of the highlights of my day is when he comes home from work in the evening. He somehow manages to make me laugh with something he says or does. We now always have a Netflix series on the go and they produce some interesting conversations between us. We go for drives, listening to music and checking out some of our favourite places. We have even begun talking about, hold on to your hats, bird watching! It seems Cory remembers a lot from his forestry days. 😉 When it comes to hanging out now, he is definitely my first choice, my best friend.

Besides our newly shared interests, I appreciate more than anything how Cory continues to make me feel “normal”. Normal as in treating me as an equal partner. I have retained my position running the household. I still figure out the weeknight meals and make the grocery lists. I schedule the kids’ appointments and know where everyone is at all times. If a new doctor/specialist/teacher calls him, Cory always asks them if they could email me so I can be involved. I can’t explain how much this means to me. My family is my driving force, the reason I fight, and for my husband to acknowledge my importance makes me love him so much more. While he could have chosen any number of cards for Mother’s Day, he chose this one:

While Cory has learned all aspects of my care, I am beyond grateful for the four caregivers who come every day and early evening to provide most of my care. It allows Cory and me time together, doing what we want. We both can’t imagine him being my primary caregiver LOL. Obviously living with a disease like ALS isn’t easy for anyone involved, but there are still good times to be had. I can honestly say we laugh more now than we ever did before. So while we didn’t ask for ALS to enter our lives, it did, and it has shown me what a gift my husband is to me and what’s really important in a relationship.