For the past 20 days I’ve been a bachelor. Rose has been in Hawaii vacationing with my sister and also working. Kind of a once in a lifetime opportunity for her to spend time with my sister and also enjoy some of the best parts of that beautiful, tropical state.

While she was having fun, I was busy.

I kind of set that up on purpose knowing it would be hard to be away from her for so long. I enrolled in a class, and so far the past 3 weeks I’ve either been doing the prep work for the course, or attending class for 4 hours a day. All this on top of my normal full time job and some work I do for The Mentoring Project.

Most days have began at about 6:30am and not stopped until 9:30pm or later. Staying that busy was the one way I could fill the extra time I’d have.

You would think the quiet moments at home would be the worst but the introvert in me kind of enjoyed that part. It was the lack of relationship that I hated the most.

I committed to marriage with Rose because above all other things, she was and is my best friend. After a few days, talking on the phone for a few minutes doesn’t cut it.

I’ve gotten used to sharing life with Rose but for the past 20 days I haven’t been able to do that. The best days weren’t as great and after the bad days were worse because I had no one to process them with.

Marriage, at least for me, is a true blessing. A blessing of companionship and a blessing of romantic friendship.

And I’ve missed it.