We Radiate Resilience Together

 Dear Readers,

For my first  post in 2022, I have to give it up to my husband,  Dr. Benjamin Michael Goins.  

Benjamin Michael Goins was born in Maryland, but grew up in Suffolk, VA most of his life.  His interests prior to medicine were cars, friends, soccer, and having fun.  His dreams of being a doctor had been instilled in him since childhood, but it took him some years to buckle down and seriously pursue his dream career.  Once he put his mind to doing it,  he never stopped until it was done.  Now, Ben has been a doctor for over 10 years.

I met Ben on Match.com in the middle of his pursuits to his dream career.  He was very calculated on what he was looking for and where he was searching for a girl to date.  He wanted someone who was serious enough to marry and have a family.  However, he also wanted someone from home- the 757 area.  At the time, he was completing rotations for medical school in New York, so he knew a long distance relationship was in the cards.  But, he wanted to end up at home- near family and friends.

When I met Ben on Match.com, I didn't know what I was looking for.  When it became more clear that we were a match, I was even more confused.   Even when we began "talking," it was quite evident that we were opposite in many ways.  However, now, after almost 13 years of marriage, we are the same in one particular area...

Resilience.

It took awhile for me to make the connection, but Ben and I are both the same in the area of resilience. 

 When. we. put. our. minds. to. something...

We. just. aren't. the. type. to. give up. or. give. in. 

In marriage and parenting, I see it evident the most.

  We share so many responsibilities together on a daily basis.  Any-hiccup-away from the mundane- throws us in a frenzy.  In Covid, I have seen us radiate resilience together ALOT.

For this, Ben, I love you even more than ever, especially as we start 2022 together.  

We bounce back from setbacks in different ways, but we are persistent and committed to bounce back always.  Even when we don't know what we are doing, we get back up and find our *new*ways of getting things done.  Together, through the initial planning phases, we still do butt heads at time.  But, we've been married long enough to know  that that is the stress, anxiety, fatigue, and emotions talking.  We- are not each other's enemies.

We are each other's safe space and support through the storm.

Because I have you, 2022 doesn't scare me at all.  We've been faithful to be resilient through many storms of the past.  We will continue to radiate resilience in whatever the Lord has planned for our future.

I love you, Ben. always.

Crystal