Loved ones are the people you hold most dear in your lives. They may be your friends or your family. They are your everyday support system and help you navigate life through the valleys and the high points. They love you unconditionally, no matter what. They are there for you. They make life worth living. In my life few have held the exalted position of being termed as loved ones. At this point my husband and two children top the list. They are the loves of my life. Without them, my life wouldn’t be complete. Without them, my Christmas wouldn’t be merry and bright.
Sometimes the people that fall in that classification include a close knit group of friends. They take over where the biological family fails and become as treasured as if they had always been there. They are the chosen ones, not the family we were born into that we had no choice over.
Sadly people come and go throughout a person’s lives. Even loved ones evolve and pass from this life onto the next. Even more sad, oftentimes the biological family you are dealt in life turn out to be on the same page as your enemies. Even though they should by all rights be amongst your loved ones, they are not. They join the group of those people who make it their number one priority to make your life a misery. You find yourself wishing the world would stop and let them off. If people were truly honest, they would admit that every family has at least one troublemaker who makes life difficult for everyone else.
No matter whom you count as the most near and dear to your heart, without these precious people, life would lose its luster. In the song titled “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, the two turtle doves that represent our loved ones make up a powerful and essential component of Christmas. It is little wonder they are included in the song considering all they symbolize. Love makes life worthwhile not only on Christmas, but on everyday throughout the year. That is all I have to say until the next time when I give you another glimpse into the life of a trucker’s wife.
Have you ever sat down and thought about what you wanted to accomplish before you kicked the bucket?? Would you like to go skydiving, ride a bull, climb a mountain, love deeper, and try to make peace and forgive those you hadn’t before? Seeing my mom die at the age of 51 and my dad at 65, the ole bucket list has a little more meaning for me because mine includes all the things that the two of them missed out on through no fault of their own. It woke me up to the reality of how precious and short life is. If they hadn’t died so young I probably wouldn’t have had such an insight into this topic and realized that a lot of what is on my own bucket list was on theirs as well. I want to live each day knowing that maybe not today, but maybe tomorrow I can!
I want to see both my kids grow up, marry, and have kids of their own settled and happy. I want to enjoy the overwhelming happiness of being the mother of the bride and groom. I look forward to gaining another son and daughter on the day of their marriages and welcoming them with open arms into the family. I want to hold each of my grandchildren, cherish them, and spend as much time with them as I can. Ideally I would love to see them grown and married pursuing their own lives with vigor. I want to see all the little things that matter most, and be there for the special moments of their lives from graduations to weddings. I want to be there to celebrate with them and comfort them in their times of sorrow. I want my kids, their significant others, and my grandkids to congregate at my house for good ole fashion family reunions filled with laughter and tons of food at every major holiday. I want them to never doubt for one millisecond how much I truly love them.
I would like to see a day when all the bills are paid up to date and I still have money in my pocket. Even though I know my bill collectors wouldn’t know how to act if they couldn’t harass me for money, I might just miss telling them when they threaten collection that I’ve been there and done that. It would be a hardship for them not to have the privilege of winning a free bushel of horse $hit for their trouble or the pleasure of me encouraging them to kiss it. I wish a day would come when my husband wouldn’t have to work so hard, and I could spend most of my days at his side. I would give anything if he could be home more and we still would be able to pay bills and enjoy life. That doesn’t figure in very well when you are paid by the mile and you love to drive a semi truck. If that truck isn’t rolling, there is no money to be had.
I want to be able to explore the world with my little family. If not Europe and the Caribbean, then Disney World and some of the great travel hot spots in the United States. I want to be able to use my camper as a means of lodging while we travel cross country exploring all the beauty I can find. Since I haven’t been anywhere in years, going any place would be welcome. I love to explore!! I want to make memories with my husband and kids that I can cherish for the rest of my life and document in pictures.
Most of all I want to live a life filled with laughter. Instead of my cup running over with sadness, I prefer overflowing with happiness. I would accept the daily challenge to find the blessings in each day and be thankful for each one no matter how small and insignificant. A big one on my bucket list is to know deep in my heart when I do die that my family know without a doubt how much I cherished each of them and enjoyed the wild ride of life at their side. That is all I have to say until next time when I give you another glimpse into the life of a trucker’s wife.
Although I have had several things in my life that sent me over the moon, the challenge is to narrow it down to the one shining moment that stands above all the rest. With that said, the happiest moment of my life was when I married my best friend, my husband.
If I hadn’t married my husband and best friend, other equally happy moments like the birth of our children or moving into our house would have never occurred. At this point in my life, all good things followed from that one shining moment. Love is an amazing thing and can make or break the happiness level in your life. Until next time when I give you another glimpse into the life of a trucker’s wife.
Have you ever wondered if you had went down a different path in life, how events would have been different?? Because of this week’s BFF challenge, I have found myself in a reflective mood wondering what if about the road not taken. Would I have changed my path if I could?
If I hadn’t quit school and come home from Belmont University, would I be a record producer today like I once wanted to be?? Would I be mixing the sound boards for the likes of Taylor Swift, Blake Shelton, or Rascal Flatts?? Hard to tell. Instead I followed my heart home and got a job.
If I hadn’t came home, I would never have met my first husband. That would have been a good thing! On the other hand, if I hadn’t experienced being married to an abusive husband and survived, I may never have grown a back bone. I also would have never appreciated the husband I have today quite as much if I hadn’t went through that experience with the first. If I hadn’t followed my mom home on that fall day in 1986, I would have never been there to take care of her when she needed me most.
If I had went back to graphic design school after my mother had died and obtained my degree, would I have a fabulous job in the world of design today full of high pressure stress with little time for anything else? In the long run, would I have been happy doing that like I once though I would?
The roads that I have went down in life have not always been smooth. They have been fraught with turmoil, laced with lessons, and peppered with laughter and happiness. Still, looking back over the decisions and roads I have taken, I don’t believe I would have changed much. I would not have wanted to miss the last precious moments of my mom’s or my dad’s lives. I sure would not have wanted to miss looking into my husband’s eyes on our wedding day. I would not have wanted to have missed the thrill of holding my precious babies for the first time, their first steps, or their first days of school.
The path I took made me stronger and wiser. I may not have all the finer things in life or a fabulous career today, but I have everything I need and all that makes life truly worthwhile. I continue to follow the path G0d intended for me discovering what I need to along the way. There is a reason for everything whether good or bad. If given the opportunity, I wouldn’t change a thing. Until next time when I give you another glimpse into the life of a truckers wife.
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 marriagewith 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.
I personally love movies based on time travel. The whole concept fascinates me. If I could go back and visit people I have loved and lost, I would do it in a heart beat. I would gladly give my husband’s left nut to go back in time and do things differently.
For example, that first failed marriage that was a complete nightmare from hell filled with 4 ½ years of abuse would never have taken place. I would go back in time and slap that younger version of myself senseless telling her it was OK to back out of the wedding. What would it have mattered if family had gathered, the wedding had been paid for, and presents were waiting to be unwrapped? Shouldn’t family and friends only truly be concerned for my happiness? In hindsight, they may have understood. I should have followed my instincts instead of doing what everyone expected. After all, they didn’t have to live with him. I did. If I could go back in time, I would have never marched down the aisle. Even if I had got that far, I would have taken one look at that a$$, told him to screw himself, and ran like crazy for daylight never looking back.
I would definitely go back in time and stop myself from handing over all the inheritance I received from my parent’s estate to the slimy contractors we hired to build a house!! We were intent on having a brand new double wide put on land. Two weeks before we were scheduled to move in, the contractors filed bankruptcy and closed up shop taking every dime financed in the construction loan with them. For our trouble, our credit was ruined and we received no house. Talk about being screwed and tattooed. Just once I would like to be the one doing the screwing and tattooing instead of the poor sap attempting to pick up the pieces and salvage life from the ashes of my shattered dreams.
There is also that desire to return to a simpler time when my parents were still alive simply to see them, to talk with them, hug them, and savor their presence. Knowing me, I would want to kidnap them and bring them back to the present! Now, that would be cool although it might really mess with their heads to the point they could need strait jackets and rubber rooms to muddle over the transition afterwards. Still, it would be so cool to have them now to dote on my children, and be part of my daily life!!
Equally interesting would be the opportunity to see how things are in the future. In a way, I might be afraid of what I might find in the future. There is a reason we don’t know our fates. In essence time travel is pure fantasy and the stuff of movies and fiction. We are born, live our lives, and then die making the best of the life we are given with no chance for re do’s or to save ourselves from mistakes. I believe everything happens for a reason. Nothing is left to chance. Each event in our life transpires to teach us something, shape our character, and is meant to be. With that in mind, I have come to the conclusion life is just as it should be. Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t be the person I am now. Until next time when I give you another glimpse into the life of a trucker’s wife.
I personally love movies based on time travel. The whole concept fascinates me. If I could go back and visit people I have loved and lost, I would do it in a heart beat. I would gladly give my husband’s left nut to go back in time and do things differently. 
Equally interesting would be the opportunity to see how things are in the future. In a way, I might be afraid of what I might find in the future. There is a reason we don’t know our fates. In essence time travel is pure fantasy and the stuff of movies and fiction. We are born, live our lives, and then die making the best of the life we are given with no chance for re do’s or to save ourselves from mistakes. I believe everything happens for a reason. Nothing is left to chance. Each event in our life transpires to teach us something, shape our character, and is meant to be. With that in mind, I have come to the conclusion life is just as it should be. Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t be the person I am now. Until next time when I give you another glimpse into the life of a trucker’s wife.