Love

What is love?  Is it the passion we feel when we are in the arms of another? Holding hands?  Hugs?  Cleaning the house?  Or is it something deeper than that?   I am blown away, quite frankly, by my husband's continued acts of love.

Let me take you back...2013.  Divorced, broke and deeply in debt.  2014.  Began dating.  Ah, love conquers all...or does it?  You see, the moment any man heard of my debt, they ran.  Like scared bunnies.  Not this one.  He hung around.  In fact, he actively pursued me.  Personally, I was just looking for a guy to have coffee with...a movie partner.  Nothing serious -- just, a friend.  But this guy, he was different.  He went all out for me.  Movie partner extraordinaire.

This past Labor Day, we talked about budgets.  We've talked about it on and off over the past year but this time he wanted to see my numbers.  We worked together.  His debt left over from his wife's illness at an early age (and no health insurance), cremation and move here.  Mine -- 200K left in student loans for 3 kids, ex-husband and myself.  Not pretty....I told him, if he sold his house and we moved to a two bedroom apartment (a huge sacrifice)  he could be completely out of debt and my debt could probably be knocked out in five years.  To be sure, I called all the student loan companies.  It was true.  My figures with us in an apartment were accurate.  And so, he decided to put his house up for sale.

It sold in five days, with us taking the first offer that was originally put out there.  I just know this is the perfect place for them.  And so, we are off on a new adventure.  In thirty days, his debt will be paid off completely.  Two credit cards will be cut up with one for emergencies.  We should even have a small savings for emergencies.

This, my friends, is love.  Although scary for him, he wants to do it.  He confessed this is the first time in his life he has never had an investment.  True.  But we will be living in a place that has racquetball courts, a game room, two swimming pools and a gym.  Granted, it's less privacy but it's also, in some ways, freeing.  Year-round resort living.  No major expenses to worry about such as the A/C needing to be replaced or the washer breaking down.

Today, I begin de-cluttering; a huge task since I never got through it when I moved here.  I figured we'd be here forever.  Truthfully, still no rush.  I have two months -- but it is time to begin.  What to do with our six Monopoly games, my collection for when the kids come?  Truth is, they haven't been to Vegas since 2010 or so.  I'm guessing with 8 grandchildren between them, it won't happen for awhile.  Now, the hard decisions (okay maybe not so hard) begin.

And so, to all of you men who ran away because you were not man enough to love someone left with  debt, I say, good riddance.  It is being there with someone through the hard times that matters.  That's when you reach out and hold on tight.  That's the kind of love you can't find in the movies. That's forever.