I was raised in a large, loving family; but, unfortunately, we were very poor. As a result, my dream was to marry a rich man, so that I could have everything I had to go without as a child.

However, love arrived before my rich man did. I was married and expecting a baby by the time I was sixteen. Dustin, my husband, was seventeen. He was a carpenter and worked for his father’s construction company. Every winter he was out of work, and it took all the money he made in good weather to get us caught up on our enormous stack of bills.

Many times we went cold and hungry. I started working when our baby was only ninteen months old, and even then, it took every penny we made to survive.

Everyone thought we were too young when we got married, and said it wouldn’t last, but we proved them wrong. We are living proof that all young marriages don’t have to end in divorce.

We’ve had more than our share of rough times, and there were many days we could have given up; but all the bad times only brought us closer. We weanted to be there for each other.

Next month we weill celebrate our eight anniversary. Sometimes I wonder how we had the strength and determination to solve all our problems, but when I look at Dustin, I realize that I truly did marry a rich man–rich in love, tenderness, and support. That worht more to me than any amount of money. I’ll never trade what I’ve got for any kind of material wealth.

Who says you can’t live on love? Certainly not me!

Submitted by Crystal B. from Tulsa, OK

Previous submissions can be found here on How I Know I’m In Love

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