Hello Steemit.

Today I read a post by @cryptocatz.

It was an entry for the haiku challenge

@cryptocatz entry was titled Love & Marriage.

As well as being a post for the contest, it was also a post about commitment and relationships .

In the post they describe a challenging week of enduring the flu together with their boyfriend.

It is a haiku about love.

But it also addressed the trials of relationships with the words-

But we survived! Both physically and mentally. (trust me, it was hard

That is an honest statement.

It resonated with me.
It is hard.
It is about compromise and disagreement and sometimes conflict.

And continuing to choose to work together on something.

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We have endured a lot.

18 months of illness, and 20 years of each others stuff.

Recently my illness has taken centre stage, while other family members needs took a step into my shadow.

It is a source of guilt and struggle which tends to morph too quickly into conflict.

Guilt is an insidious thing.

We both wear it and it erodes unnecessarily.

So this is a testament to endurance.

That underneath the quarrel and the guilt there are still embers that can be tended to.

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I enjoy response poetry.

I have selected the words -

Well we survived.

From @cryptocatz post as my prompt.

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Well We Survived.

Blazing or smoulder

Together guarding embers

With choice to ignite.

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Traditionally a first anniversary gift is paper.

This is a book I made him of us.

We haven't needed it as kindling yet.

I keep it in a box with the book he made me.

The ribbon from our wedding cake, the table cloth our friends signed, the second anniversary (cotton) cross stitch I made him, (and only cross stitch I have ever made), and other treasures such as the dried flowers, the first he ever gave me.

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I have added to it over the years.
Our children's hospital tags, their milestones and achievements, our trips together...

I hope it continues to grow.

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Thanks for reading.

Thanks @cryptocatz for always inspiring me.