The 11th Year

In the 11th year I am still with the man I love. In the 11th year I am partner to the man I met 16 years ago. In the 11th year I am so much stronger and fuller to be where I am. In the 11th year I sometimes feel over worked and over stretched. In the 11th year I know my burdens are not just my own, they are also his. In the 11th year sometimes I wonder how happy he is, is this the life he hoped? In the 11th year I toasted our time together with good wine and family and a wedding that would happen the next day. In the 11th year I reflect on what it feels like to be in 1st year, the 2nd...3rd. In the 11th year I feel full of hope, of time, of dreams. In the 11th year I hope to align some of our dreams and follow them together. In the 11th year I dream about the 15th year when our littlest is 5 and perhaps we have time to discover each other again. In the 11th year I am loved, valued and I in turn love and value him. In the 11th year, on a daily basis I sometimes forget to show that love and value, but it's there, in the cookies coming from the oven and the hug when least expecting it. In the 11th year I wonder what lays ahead, I dream of the life that is to be and I am.