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Twenty Seven (and counting) ♥

Today is a full day. :) At work, I had a day full of meetings and dealings with people. November is just a crazy month for all of us. After work, I had a full stomach because of the buffet dinner at Bensetti's! Thanks to my ever sweet and practical Love. :) Why spend much when you can have discounted deals? :D

Pink Shirt Day ♥

As I look back, I can't help but be grateful at the kind of love that we have. And because we just came from the pilot run of the Intimacy Weekend, let me share some points discussed in the retreat and relate it to our love story. :) 

Ours is not a "can't live without each other" kind of love as described by Carrie Bradshaw in the movie Sex in the City:


Though we're not yet married, not even engaged yet, I can sincerely say that what we have is genuine love - something free, full, faithful, and fruitful. :) 

Free.
It was his decision to court me. Nobody told him to do so (except probably for God), and he didn't court me just because he wanted to win in some gamble, you know what I mean. :) It was also my decision to love him. Of course I consulted God, my family, and my closest friends, but when I said yes to him, I meant it with all my heart and it wasn't because I was just forced to out of pity or of fear I won't get courted again. :)

Full (Total).
We know each other's past even before courtship. We became friends and mission partners and during our trips we usually talk about previous relationships, deepest desires, lowest points, etc. So I guess it's safe to say that he loved (and still loves) me for who I truly am - with all my achievements, failures, victories, defeats, strengths, and weaknesses. And I'm loving him just the same. :)

Faithful.
This is really the best part. :) I can sleep peacefully knowing that when he goes home late, he's just with his friends or chaptermates, not hanging out with some other girl. :D I remember the 10 benefits of chastity which were also discussed during the Intimacy Weekend. Wait, let me share them as well. :) 

1. Chastity weeds out users.  
• Chastity unites lovers and divides those who lust.  If a person makes it clear to his/her partner that he/she wants the relationship to be chaste and the partner leaves the relationship because of it, then it is clear that he/she is after lust and not love in the relationship. 

 2. Chastity brings clarity. 
• Moral clarity, because the standards of the relationship are made clear: sex only after marriage. 
• Sexual intimacy before marriage clouds your mind and makes it unable to see that the relationship is not going anywhere.  It makes you unable to look at the relationship objectively because of the sexual attachments involved. 

 3. Chastity elevates your attractions. 
• You look for the more important things in a partner; not simply the sexual aspect. 

 4. Chastity liberates a woman from drama. 
• She will not have to worry about STD or pregnancy, nor  mind games and mistrust. 

 5. Chastity heightens anticipation. 
• Love for only one – more romantic and passionate; love expressed perfectly through sacrifice 

 6. Chastity frees you to be yourself. 
• Allows a person to fulfill his/her potential without spending so much emotional and mental energy trying to fulfill or please one’s partner. 

 7. Chastity expresses love. 
• It tests a couple’s ability to love one another, the kind of love that sacrifices and longs for the good of the other. 

 8. Chastity expresses hope. 
• Couple choose to live for something greater than what this present moment can offer. 

 9. Chastity deepens faith. 
• Purity of soul allows for more intimacy with God; offers a new lens through which you view life. 

 10. Chastity offers freedom from regret. 
• No one regrets having lived a life of chastity; many regret not having done so.

These benefits I fully enjoy now. And I couldn't thank God enough for giving me such a great man. :) He's not perfect, but he's not giving me terrible headaches and heartbreaks. :)

Fruitful.
They say that a good relationship is something that would help you grow in love and in faith, something that would not only make you a better person but would also bring out the best in you. Guess what? That's the kind of relationship that we have. Praise God! :) And the "fruit" of our love is manifested in our service. :) One recent fruit is the Intimacy Weekend. :) People were teasing us that the companion looked a lot like a wedding missal but we couldn't care less. That very companion (and most of the details of the retreat) is a product of our labor of love. :) I'll be honest that we've had a number of misunderstandings because of service, especially that we're both leaders in different chapters, but when discussions heat up, we always go back to the reason why we're here and why we're doing the things entrusted to us. And our reason is love (for God and for others). :) 

It has been 27 blissful months of love, friendship, and learning. And things are just getting better and sweeter for the both of us. :) 

27... and counting... ♥
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