Congratulations on your 19 years!
Perhaps this will be a bit too somber for the light-hearted thread, but .....
I was married for 21 years. She passed at the age of 44 and, although she had been battling serious illness, her death came unexpectedly. I learned a lot about myself and, hopefully, gained some wisdom while facing the pain of that loss.
Men - your wife is a gift from God. She deserves your love, your kindness and respect. You can lose her in the blink of an eye. Believe me - it's not all the great times you will remember. Instead, you will recall the times you treated her poorly - with your words, your acts or indifference. No, I wasn't a jerk husband but, like most men, I had moments of which I am not proud and that I will regret to my grave.
Tell your wife you love her. Tell her how much she means to you. Tell her often.
I was single for about 10 years and have since remarried. Never again will I object if my wife wants to go to some craft show, instead, I will go with her. Never will I say that piece of jewelry is a waste of money, instead, I will encourage her to do what makes her happy. I do the normal "manly" things but, now, I also help with cleaning the house, cooking, making the bed, laundry, grocery shopping and every other imaginable endeavor. I do these things, not because she expects them but because she deserves them.
My biggest regret is that it took the death of my late wife to make me a better man and a better husband. I carry much guilt that I was not, for her, the man she taught me to be in her passing. Her name was Margarita. Even in her illness, her thoughts were always of others. She fought with great courage and dignity. I can only hope, when my time comes, that I will have even a small bit of her strength. I wrote the following several years after losing her.
… for Margarita
The grass is always green here,
fed by my lonely tears.
The agonizing seconds pass slowly,
but have added up to years.
You were taken far too early
and left me here behind,
A broken heart and empty life
is now all I claim as mine.
Though many came to love you,
so few could understand
The gift you had that touched my soul,
each time you held my hand.
This life was hard and so unfair
to one so kind and true
God felt your pain, called out your name
and kept His promise to you.
My arms still reach to hold you
and draw you oh so near
My heart has died and love is dead
but the grass is always green here.
