5 Years with Brandon

Sitting across from Brandon at a Seattle-Capitol Hill restaurant where we shared our first date five years ago, the following thoughts begin rolling through my mind. Before me, I see the rest of my life; everything that was, is and will be. Before me is the accumulation of my greatest faults, fractures, victories, and moments of pride. Before me is everything I will do that is great in my life. Before me is a home and all that means. Before me is the person I bargained with the universe to find. Before me is not perfection, but perfection to me. Before me is the personification of love, grace, and kindness.

For so long, I didn’t know if this moment would arrive for me. I doubted and built walls. I lied, cheated, and hid the true idea of myself away from the world. When I least expected it, in the midst of grief, this person arrived at my door. In an instant, I knew. Of course, time had to support my natural instincts, but I knew in an instant.

The time stretching from that moment hasn’t always been easy. We’ve had our challenges, as anyone in a long-term relationship can attest, but our days have been filled with more joy than anything else. Through those tests, trials, and tribulations, a foundation was cemented; something that will support us for the rest of our lives.

Our next chapter will be defined by a home, a union, careers instead of jobs, and…