Loyalty

     Loyalty is a precious commodity. In my opinion it isn’t given lightly, it is earned. There is no other loyalty quite like what exists in marriage. Sadly few people find that kind either. The sanctity of marriage and it’s longevity seems to be a thing of the past. I happen to be cut from the cloth of the old school beliefs where you meet someone, fall in love, get married, have kids, and then die. To many people can’t find someone who is loyal and prefer to live together and have kids with no commitments from either side.

     I witnessed a devotion and loyalty in my father that I have rarely seen elsewhere. He loved my mom with every fiber of his being. I only ever remember seeing my dad cry twice. The first time was the heart wrenching sobs that shook his whole body during her funeral, and the second time was when he sat broken in his wheel chair after a stroke had robbed him of his mobility and begged me that if a time ever came that I had to make the decision to sustain his life to let him go. As tears rolled down his face he explained that he had waited 11 long years to be with my mom. He was tired of waiting. He couldn’t stand facing life in a wheelchair. He couldn’t face life without her anymore. He wanted to be with her. If that meant going on to heaven or being laid to rest beside her in the cemetery, it made little difference. There was never anyone else for him but her.

 

     I am a lot like my dad. When I took the vows, it was forever. That is how I feel about my husband. He is the only one for me. I can never imagine there ever being anyone else but him. When he is gone, I will be alone end of story. I trust him completely, and I am certain he feels the same way about me. When you are in a marriage where one of you is a truck driver and gone more than not, loyalty and trust are important to have. It keeps the marriage strong, and any other difficulties and misunderstandings can be overcome because in the end love does conquer all.

     Still being in a marriage with a truck driver does take its toil simply because there is so much time spent apart. Fortunately, I have never had a reason to worry because my husband is as loyal to me as I am to him. My husband has colleagues that have constant marital problems simply because the wife who is at home can not live without a man. She changes men as often as normal women change underwear, and still her husband returns to her side. I couldn’t survive in a relationship like that. It would be a deal breaker for me. Fortunately my husband and I are on the same page on that note.

     In the end, loyalty boils down to one thing: the ability to stick it out and have someone’s back through thick and thin and sick and sin.   Until next time, when I give you another glimpse into the life of a truckers wife.