Happy Valentine's Day 2011, Maty Bombay

I find it hard to believe that we've been together for 6 years now.  I remember well the first time I laid eyes on you.  You barely spoke a word of English and didn't look to be a day older than 17, even though you were actually 24.

I find it even harder to believe that two people from such disparate backgrounds could somehow end up together, making a go of it.  First, there am I, the agnostic, moral relativist, from the temperate Pacific Northwest.  Then, there are you, the devout Muslim from sweltering sub-Saharan Africa.  Add in the racial and ethnic divide and the 17 year disparity in age, and the whole thing seems pretty unlikely.

But, if we look deeper, some less apparent, but more important, similarities assert themselves.  You're a kind soul, my love.  We both are.  Kind and compassionate.  And we're both guided by our individual moralities, which don't always match up completely, but are as close as any two people might hope to expect.  And we adhere to them as best we can.

The other day, I was out walking.  And I came across a sunset.  And I want to share it with you, as part of my Valentine's Day gift to Maty Bombay, the love of my life.



I'm so glad to have you at my side.