but just look at us holding on

Marcus and Alex are finally with me in England. Marcus arrived this past Wednesday, and Alex landed at Heathrow on Saturday morning. I’ve found that as time passes, I hate being apart from them more and more, so I’m really relieved we’re all together again.

This was Alex’s first international trip on her own, so Marcus and I wanted to be sure to meet her at Heathrow, so we could escort her to Bath. Since her flight was early, Marcus had the lovely idea that the two of us should head into London the day before and make a night of it: do a bit of sightseeing, and end the day with dinner at the hotel where we married.

And so, we did. We set out after breakfast, without much of a plan. But we ended up going to all the places we used to frequent when we were dating.

*Breakfast across the street from Bath train station.*

*Covent Garden. Marcus and I spent many a weekend here. The market is pretty great.*

*View from* *The Crusting Pipe* *in Covent Garden, where we had our rehearsal dinner the night before our August wedding.*

*A gorgeous pub in* *Neal’s Yard, one of our favourite areas around Covent Garden.*

Marcus and I have been together for twenty-three years. And as we walked from site to nostalgic site, I couldn’t help but think about all the adventures we’ve had over the last couple of decades:

We married. Twice.
We moved to Houston.
We adopted our daughter and became parents.
We moved to Trinidad & Tobago.
We moved back to Houston.
We lost everything in a hurricane. Everything.
We had some health scares.
We rebuilt our home.
We each had career successes and disappointments.
And now, we’re expanding our life back across the pond.

It was amazing to contemplate all we’ve been through together, and a gift to do so on the eve of Thanksgiving. Of course, Marcus and I aren’t singular: the truth is that we all — all of us — have had achievements we’re proud of, as well as falls that we’ve managed to overcome. We’ve all had moments of soaring success, as well as times when we’ve displayed stunning resilience.

So that’s my wish for all of us this week: that we all remember the moments when we experienced joyful accomplishment, and the times when we triumphantly overcame challenges. And as we reflect on all those occasions, may we feel grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving, lovelies.