when we met i was dressed for winter. i remember you called me an eskimo and i didn't know what that meant. little did i know it would one day become one of my favorite ways to kiss you.

when we touched i was in so many layers i shouldn't have been able to feel you. but i did, and then i couldn't stop. i remember i tried to flirt with you in a language that was not my own. little did i know i would one day be fluent in the complex and beautiful language that makes up who you are, and calling your name would become like breathing.

the love of my life was born on november 20th, 1994. he doesn't have many baby pictures because he was dealt a much tougher hand than most of us. while we were busy cheesing in front of the camera, he was busy fighting for a reason to smile at all. but the thing is now he's got the brightest grin i've ever seen, and sometimes i imagine it on his younger face. how anyone could mistreat a soul so pure i'll never understand.

what i do know is that even the most reckless stomping around his tempestuous journey to full bloom could not and did not crush the strength and resilience of the man i love. for that i am awed, and i am grateful.

happy birthday to the person who changes the lives of everyone he meets for the better. happy birthday to the person who changed my life forever. a life without you would be like a sky without stars.

a life with you, darling, is divine.