I always saw myself as a man that couldn't hurt a fly, unless SERIOUSLY provoked. I cared for the feelings and characters of the people which I associate myself with to do any major harm or inflict any major pain to. This pain would be either physical or emotional. I just saw myself as a considerate, loving person who would do anything for family and friends. Then, however, my perspective of myself crashed through the floor as I realized the truth in a fashion I never thought I would learn it, if I ever did.
It happened on a Sunday morning. I wake up in the late morning hours to a beautiful disaster of a room, just the way I like it. Everything indicated a good day coming, until reality struck me dead in the face. Amy, my fiance, had learned of my untruthfullness. She had pulled back the outer shell that is my charming personality and took a look deep within, something I do not seem to do too often. I struggled to believe of my mishaps and tried to deny the truth. The truth being that I was not totally honest with her in our relationship. We talked about it and I began to see how badly I had hurt her. Time felt like it was running short and I was yearning to spend every second with her to work things out.
This wouldn't have been my attitude in high school. In high school, I looked for things that were going wrong in the relationship as my ticket out. I saw relationships as almost a social aspect. You weren't cool if you didn't have someone to hold hands with or to spend time with. However, deep down, all I wanted was someone I could spend the rest of my life with. Even in high school I felt there was that one person out there. That one person who would be there in times of need and in times of joy. Someone who loved to go out and spend a night on the town but who would also love to cuddle on the couch and spend a night in. That is the person I was looking for, the person I was praying for. That person is Amy Backes.
As I started to realize this in full clarity as I had to spend time in a meeting apart from her, I felt inspired to compose a poem and letter together, in hopes of displaying my commitment to our relationship and tell her of my realization about my unconditional love for her. The only thing I could hope to come out of this is forgiveness and a fresh start. As I pass on the letter to her, she tells me she has also composed one for me. She sends me with the message that it is dark and detailed, something I was fearing. As I read it, the first three-quarters of the message is detailing how hurt she is by my actions and how she is surprised she is still here with me today. Thankfully, that portion was followed with the message of love and commitment to me as well. I was joyful to see those words as I didn't feel as if I deserved them at that time.
The point is, redemption is a beautiful thing when you receive it. It isn't so beautiful to the person giving it to you but it is a mutual understanding of trust that you will do the right thing and not perform the same troubling acts that put you there in the first place. That is exactly what I am planning to do. I plan to be 100% truthfull to her for the rest of our lives as that is how long I plan on spending with her. That is a promise that I will keep until the day I die. Forgiveness only works so many times, so I am taking this as my last chance to prove to her the love that burns inside of me. The unconditional love for her that will last us the rest of our lives no matter the adversities we encounter and no matter the difficulties we will face, we will tough it out together.
My thought:
Be truthfull to the people around you no matter how bad it might seem at the time, it will only get worse if you don't say it.