LOVE changes everything

Dear Life,

I am joining a new challenge from Finding The Grace Within.  Karen hosts Tuesday at Ten.  She puts up a quote and challenges you to use it in your writing.  You have six days to do so and then share on her page.  I am challenging myself to write more, and this motivates me to write weekly!  So....here goes.  This week the challenge is {the words I live by and what that means to me}.  

Something was missing. There was a gaping hole where my heart was supposed to be beating.How was I breathing?How did I wake up every day?Every morning things looked gray, unappealing, and just plain sad. I felt alone.Eventually I just started pretending.Laughing while I was quietly shriveling up inside.Then, one night, in a city 45 minutes from my own, in a group of friends, I met a man who would change my. whole. life.He was of course incredible sexy.He had sparkling, happy eyes and a beautiful, amazing smile.And... I thought he was crazy. He asked my best friend if he and his friends could dance with us.  She said yes.I told her she was nuts.And then we all danced.It was fun.
We exchanged numbers. We became friends.And then even better friends.We called each other all the time.We hung out.I started to like him a little. Then there was a bet.He wasn't allowed to call a certain girl who was RUDE to him.I wasn't allowed to call a guy who hung out with me only because he was on the rebound.Whoever called the person first had to pay for Disneyland tickets for the day.Guess who lost?Not me.  He lost.He bought my Disneyland ticket.He bought me a pretzel and a drink.
He bought be a balloon. 
And my. heart. started. beating. again. He loved me.He really cared about me.First as a friend.He called me.He listened to me.He sent me flowers.Then, he loved me more.He put aside his own personal fears about relationships and became my boyfriend.Someone LOVED me.Weird.He was incredibly kind, incredibly giving, and incredibly loving.I wasn't used to that.I felt my whole body tingle.I was ALIVE.All because of love.His love gave me strength, courage, and hope.And then together we discovered God's love for us.Especially when He blessed us with a baby boy.Because of this man I loved, I was taught the gospel.And I learned about eternal families.I learned about eternal love.No longer alone, no longer sad, I was so happy to learn about this principle of the gospel.I didn't need to fear marriage.I didn't need to fear love.For me, that was huge.Because of the love this man has given me for 22 years now, I have been given many gifts.5 amazing boys, and 1 beautiful girl.The knowledge of the gospel, and the light of Christ's love and sacrifice for me.A man who stands next to me, behind me, in front of me; who holds me when I am broken, lifts me up when I am sad, celebrates my accomplishments, and teaches me every. single. day. how much more he loves me.I am alive because of love.  I share love because it is a gift.  Love changes everything.  I was broken.  And now I am whole.