On my drive to school today I was beginning to stress about what I was going to write about this evening because yesterday was so hard. When I sat down at my desk and flipped the page on my calendar I immediately knew this was my answer!

The definition of a best friend is a person who you value above other friends in your life, someone you have fun with, someone you trust and someone in whom you confide.

yourdictionary.com

For the last almost 50 years, Chuck has been my best friend. We met in high school when I was just 15, and he was 17. This year we will celebrate 43 years of marriage and 50 years of dating. Yes, we still think we are dating.

Chuck is the first person I tell when I have good news to share, and he is the one person I want to help me get through the bad news. I just love being at home and spending time with him. We take care of each other, trust each other, and respect each other. We laugh; we cry; we hold each other up.

On every step of our journey together we are a team. Chuck has supported me in every way – all of my college concerts & recitals, the many shows I produced during my career as a music teacher, becoming a Writing Project Fellow, my pursuit of a master’s degree, my writing, and all the stress and meltdowns that went along with each of those things. There was never any judgment – just support.

Chuck definitely brings out the best in me. He is my biggest champion. He knows when I need a pick-me-up and when I need a smackdown (a Moonstruck moment – “Snap out of it!”). Chuck is such a good man; he makes me want to be a better person. My high school sweetheart, my husband, my best friend. He keeps me grounded and helps me fly.