17 Things From 17 Years: Post 3

#3. The indescribable feeling that this person completes me.

I remember the first time I felt incomplete without Chris, and it was actually before we were married.

Chris and I dated for nearly two years. For the last half of that time, I lived in Virginia, volunteering at a home for mentally handicapped children. Long before my year of service was up, we were engaged, planning a wedding and Chris was threatening 'honorable' ways to get me discharged early. He was also nearly putting his mother through the roof over his daily phone calls. (Does the payphone make sense now?)

Near the end of my term, six of us staff took a group of residents on a PR trip. I don't remember the exact amount of time we were gone, at least a week. But I do remember the feeling of something being missing because I couldn't share it with Chris. I hadn't realized how much those daily phone calls had become a part of my life nor how much the man himself had begun to complete me. The experience of traveling and giving programs was rich, memorable and enjoyable but not nearly as much so without him to share it with. The late night phone call when our group finally stopped at my home place was definitely a much looked forward to one.

Of course, that feeling has only deepened and grown in the 17 years we've been married. Eventually your partner becomes as much a part of you as your right hand and completes your abilities and very life as much as having two feet. It's hard to describe the feeling of another person completing you and even harder to imagine doing life without them and I certainly wouldn't want it any other way.