The best time to find love is when you aren't searching for it. I used to be a pessimist about high school relationships and think that people only married their high school sweethearts in movies and very seldom in real life. At the beginning of my senior year I decided that I would not date anyone before I went to college because I did not want the burden. Of course, my plans were not the same as God's plans. Shortly before the infamous Christmas dance, I met a guy. Little did I know, that guy would become a huge part of my life. He basically forced me to go to the dance with him. He took me to a basketball game for our first outing, and even though at the time I only wanted to be friends, I was hooked. My life would never be the same after that basketball game. So, we went on more dates and he became my boyfriend. I had become the cliché that I had thought was a fairy tale.
Over a period of a couple months he became my best friend and the love of my life. At nineteen, people may think I am too young for love, but after two years he is still the love of my life and I couldn't imagine my life with anyone else.
The time came for me to travel to school, about 240 miles away. To stay together or not to stay together, that was the ultimate question. I was completely and totally infatuated and to me that was no other option than to stay together. I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this guy and I still do. People would make comments such as "All the high school couples break up within the first couple of weeks." This honestly made me nervous. I wondered if I had made the wrong decision, but I wasn't going to break up with someone I love just because that's what is "normal." I won't lie a long distance relationship was a very difficult experience to go through. We made it out the other side stronger for it.
The comments that I still hear like, "I don't understand why people date their high school boyfriend/girlfriend they must have no life," make me cringe. Just because I am in a committed relationship does not mean that I don't have great experiences. I just have someone to celebrate those experiences with. When something incredible happens you want to be excited with someone and he gets to be my someone.I also get a shoulder to cry on and a rock to lean on, which is amazing.
Then a year after I went to school, he came to the same school. All the thoughts about people saying that everyone who follows their boyfriend/girlfriend to school always break up traveled through my mind. I knew our relationship was stronger than that. It is difficult, but I wouldn't want to have it any other way.
My high school sweetheart will one day become my husband and there is nothing wrong with that. My relationship has gone through much more than most. I get to grow up and grow old with my true love. If you love your high school sweetheart say it loud and proud, and don't let anyone tell you that it won't work out.
Thank you Marshall for being my best friend, my true love, and my high school sweetheart. I wouldn't want to go on this journey of life with anyone else.
