Married to a Drug Store Cowboy

Love! ? When I was sixteen I fell in love with the charm of a "drug store cowboy". I married and began a journey called life that has taught me that the word love is thrown about too easily.

I thought I could only love my husband until we began a family two and a half years into the marriage. Then I was in love with him for the wonderful father he turned out to be. When our daughter was born I loved the fact that he took a second job to support his growing brood. Never complaining, even when the car broke down and he walked miles before getting a ride in the winter months. Years later I loved the man that gave his life to God, who was man enough to bend his knee and show his family to worship and give thanks in all things. But, when our third child was diagnosed with encephalocele, while in utero, and we were told she would pass away before or during, possibly shortly after birth, love took on a whole new meaning to me.

That boy whose charm and smile had caught my eye, now was a man who without hesitation backed me up when I refused to end the life of our daughter due to the diagnosis. He took off work a day a week and drove me while I slept seven hours one way to the specialist who would care for us. He made the hours up during the week. Then just as with our perfect children, he was there when she was born quietly... without breath. It was love that made him hold her and photograph her and love that made him hold me during the years of grief that followed. Love isn't always roses, wine, and song.... but true love can withstand the test of sorrow and grief and survive.

About the Author: Lisa Davenport is a 33-year-old mother of six children, four living and two who were stillborn. She was married to a "drug store cowboy" for 16 1/2 years. She homeschools her children, writes bereavement poetry (website at bottom of signature) and articles on pregnancy loss and has been published in several newsletters nationwide and also a bereavement magazine. She runs an AVON business from her home and also does clerical support while studying medical transcription for OB/GYN's.

Lisa Davenport, independent Avon rep. Email for free catalog. Not just perfumes anymore.
community.webtv.net/comeaux1313/Lostbutnotforgotten

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