Leaps of Faith

Today my husband and I celebrate 10 years of marriage. Believe it or not, he’s put up with me for that long and is still relatively sane.

I would say that I love him the same as I did that day, but that would be a lie. In fact, our relationship and love has evolved into something I never could have imagined back then.

When we were first married he was my friend and a source of strength. He gave me hope that the male species wasn’t utterly doomed. We had a few people, my mother included, who warned me off because of the 16 years that separated us. (The fact that he was my boss might have had something to do with it too.) People said I was playing with fire and that no man his age could possibly have good intentions with a girl my age.

Thank God I’m stubborn and didn’t listen!

I have a tendency to be rebellious against authoritative figures so naturally, the more people protested the more I wanted the relationship to work. But I didn’t have to try very hard. Since we had worked together for nearly a year and a half, we already knew each other without all the typical facades of perfection. We were real from the beginning.

My husband and I had the easiest dating life and after only a couple months he asked me to marry him. There was only one right answer for me. Our wedding wasn’t anything fancy and most people thought I had to be knocked up. Ten years later, it’s funny. Back then, not so much. But in true ‘JoAnna’ fashion, I didn’t care what people thought. I knew what I wanted and I went for it.

From the moment I first met my husband I knew he was a good man. But I didn’t know he was a great man until the first time he held our daughter a year and a half later. With tears in his eyes he stared at that little baby and said, “How can anyone see something so miraculous and not believe in God?” My heart swelled and I fell for him all over again.

Today we have two daughters and one son. They have my 6’3” husband wrapped around their fingers. We’re that weird family you see in movies dancing in their living room and chasing each other around the house laughing.

I said all that to make a point, honest! See, I live a love story. My story has drama and heartache, surprises and black moments, twist and turns that only the great author of my life could have seen coming. I have no doubt that even God shakes his head and laughs at my story. But I love to take that emotion and pour it into my books. It’s fuel that makes me get up in the morning and write about love and the struggles that accompany it.

If I can move but one person to an emotional precipice and give them the faith to leap, I will consider myself a success. My greatest joy is to see two characters that I’ve birthed overcome their struggles and find true love in each other. And if a few readers out there like it, that’s cool too!

Lovingly, 

JoAnna

PS The hubs has a big night of surprises planned. Take note men: anticipation is key. The suspense is killing me! LOL!