Whether you are celebrating Valentine's Day with the one you love, your friends, your family, or will be enjoying some " me time" today, Malia and I would like to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day!
From the time Malia and I started to show an interest in each other, there were some who didn't think it would work, who didn't want us to be together, that tried to tell us why we were wrong for each, that kept giving us reasons why it wouldn't work, and many/most of those people, I'm sure had the best of intentions.
The people who didn't think it would work, forgot to look at all of the reasons we were right for each other, and the reasons that it could work.
Malia and I at the time, didn't have all of the answers to the reasons why we would work. Over time though, we were able to find the answers to the reasons people were giving us, that we wouldn’t work.
I would like to answer those questions right here, right now, because some of you might be going through the same things/might have to answer the same questions, about your relationship, and maybe this will help.
Question: Malia is black, and you are white. That could be a challenge.
Answer: So f..... what! Should we not be with each other, because people might not like the fact that we have different skin colors? We both chose to be happy. If you don't like us, because our skin colors aren't the same, the problem is with you, not with us.
Question: You come from completely different backgrounds. That could lead to problems.
Answer: So f..... what! Should we not be with each other, because people might not like the fact that we come from different backgrounds? We both chose to be happy. If you don't like us, because we come from different backgrounds, the problem is with you, not with us.
Question: MJ is married. Are you willing to break up your marriage to be together?
Answer: This question was answered for us, because my wife left me.
Question: There is a 10 year age difference between you and Malia. How are you going to overcome that?
Answer: So f..... what! Should we not be with each other, because we were born at different times? We both chose to be happy. If you don't like us, because we were born at different times, the problem is with you, not with us.
I could write out and answer the other questions and answers people had for/about us, but the answer to every question that anyone ever had about us/for us, was pretty much the same. At the end of the day, we knew we loved each other, and we were dedicated to making it work/being together.
Is it possible we may not have worked out? Yes. Is it possible that the people who had questions and concerns about us, could have been Right? Yes.
We did listen to people's thoughts and concerns. We really did, but virtually every one of the people who showed concern/had questions about us being together, recommended we talk to each of our best friends, the person each of us turn to in our darkest hour, to see what they thought.
So, we each called our best friend, and asked them what they thought. I called my best friend, her name is Malia, to ask her what she thought. She thought us being together was a good idea. Then Malia called her best friend, his name is MJ, to see what he thought. Her best friend MJ, thought it was a good idea for us to be together also.
When you are in love with your best friend, who knows you inside and out, who is always there for you, who already fits into your life, who understands you, your wants, your needs, your goals, your fears, supports you, and knows what makes you tick, you know you are making the right decision by being with them, regardless of all of the factors that shouldn't matter....age, race, religion, etc.
There are definitely things that can make a relationship more difficult, but life and relationships both have challenges. Malia and I knew there would be challenges, but we knew each other better.
In the summer of 2016, right after I had gotten out of the hospital, Malia and I were sitting on our bed at our house in Bethesda, and she said- "Are you ready to tackle our challenges in Texas now?" I thought about it for a second and said- Yes. She said- "Are you sure?" I said back- You said- Are you ready to tackle our challenges in Texas now, and I said yes, because I'm sure. Then she said- "Why are you so confident?" And I said- Because we already made a comeback from death, you helped me learn how to walk and talk again, we have flipped the script on the truth about me, that I'm not really a villain, we put together a plan to make sure I had shared custody of my son, with my soon to be ex-wife, and we have built 2 successful businesses, all at the same time. Quite frankly, if I was our Texas challenges, I'd be running as fast as I could to get away from us, because we are going to crush them!
Then she said this- "I don't know what the future holds, but if the future doesn't involve us being together, I have some bad news for this future fella, because he is going to be changing his plans."
Bottom line....If you love someone, and they love you back....It's a beautiful thing!
