Dear future husband,

There are things you need to know before we get engaged, say I do, and spend the rest of our lives together. My life has been a rough one. There have been people that have not been so kind to me. There have been boys who have treated me badly. There have been people who have given me good examples of what a man should be and there have been people who have given me examples of what a man should not be. The best example I have had of what a man can be is my dad; and he has told me something I will never forget and it is what I will use to determine if I say yes when you get on one knee. Are you ready? Here it is.

"Before you spend the rest of your life with someone. Before you say yes to them getting down on one knee. Before you say I do. Make sure you have seen them in every situation possible. See them struggle. See them succeed. See them angry and sad and happy. See the way they look at you when you look away. See who they are when you are not around by listening to other people. See them face temptation. Catch them in a lie. Observe them with children. See them stressed, depressed, and frustrated. See them. And by doing this you will solidify in your mind who they are before its fifteen, twenty, fifty years down the line and you have no clue who you married or even why."

In you I will be putting all of my trust, all of my secrets and thoughts. In you I will have my best and truest friend. I will be giving you my whole life, my whole heart, my body, my mind, and my soul. I expect storms to come to us, but I expect you to stick by my side just like I will stick by yours. Whatever temptations, struggles, or turmoil comes our way I expect to fight it. I want to encourage each other, spoil each other, and be by each others sides while we are accomplishing our dreams and goals.

I have waited a long time for you. You are the exact half of me and we also carry the pieces of each other that the other one lacks. Home will never be a place. It will always be wherever I'm with you. Finally, I want to thank you in advance, for treating me how I should have always been treated. For making sure all of my doubts and insecurities get put to rest. For everything and anything you will do in the future for me or for us. And lastly for being an example of what a man should be to our future children so that they never have to wonder.