Interracial dating can be tough simply because everyone has an opinion about it and these opinions can impact your relationship but it shouldn't. So what if it makes some people uncomfortable at the end of the day, is it not just a love story like all the others out there?
Hi, my Britzie's so I decided to give you a sneak peek into my perfectly blended little family and some of the challenges we faced and how love conquered all.
I live in a society that says fall in love with someone who loves and respects you, cares for you, values you. Fall in love with someone who puts your needs before their own. Fall in love with someone who gives you comfort and security but don't fall in love with someone from a different race, sex or religion!
Interracial dating can be tough simply because everyone has an opinion about it and these opinions can impact your relationship but it shouldn't. So what if it makes some people uncomfortable at the end of the day, is it not just a love story like all the others out there?
This is our story;
I met Dylan on my very first day back to the gym and from the moment I met him there was just something about him that made my world spin. Our chemistry was out of this world, never had I ever felt so comfortable being with someone. I was completely smitten! (You can totally call it like at first sight). We both joke about it now and say that our souls were like, "Yes Yes it's this one. Finally, I found you!" A few weeks later he officially asked me to be his girlfriend and obviously I said yes even though we had only been seeing each other for a few weeks. As much as I was in a good space when I met Dylan I was still a very broken person just trying to figure things out but he never made me feel like I was broken and I knew that I had met a man who loved me unconditionally! He taught me to look at myself and find beauty in my flaws. He made me question my life and open my eyes and see things from a completely new perspective.
I was so in love with this amazing man and it was time to introduce him to my family. I always knew that introducing him to my siblings would be easy because they have all gone through their fair share of relationship drama so they would welcome Dylan with open arms. My parents, on the other hand, were a completely different story! For one my parents are very religious and the one thing my father told me all my life was to make sure I married a man of our faith and here I was in love with a man who was not just of a different faith but a different race too so I knew I had a long and difficult road ahead of me.
I remember the day my parents met Dylan. I was staying at my sisters and Dylan and I were having a movie day and they decided to drop by for dinner. I was caught a little off guard but I decided to just go with the flow. When I introduced Dylan to my dad I could see that he was fuming. I just decided to excuse myself from dinner that night just to avoid being uncomfortable. My dearest Dylan, on the other hand, did not catch the hint and instead of excusing himself with me he had dinner with my family. I look back at it now and I feel like it was for the best because spending that short time with Dylan made my parents love him. I guess the bottom line of it all is that character has no color and Dylan is just an amazing guy so it was easy for everyone to look past everything else.
Our next hurdle was religion. As with all my siblings, I knew that my father would expect Dylan to change his faith for me because that's just how things were done in my home. I knew what was to come but I was not happy about it. To be honest I look at people who were sort of forced to change their religious beliefs for the person they love and let's be honest after the marriage how many of them actually practice the faith? This was not something I wanted for Dylan so I asked my parents to let Dylan be. They were obviously livid but this was my choice. Dylan was the love of my life and I respected him as well as his religious beliefs. I knew that it would be really difficult to get people to understand but at the end of the day this was our life and we would have made things work no matter what. As time went by Dylan started asking so many questions about my faith and he would always tell me about all the research he had done and eventually he told me that he had decided to practice my faith. Looking back at it now I know that his decision made things so much easier for us but I have no doubt that we would have given it our all to make our relationship work if he did not change his faith. Thankfully things were a lot easier with Dylan's side of the family. To this day I always feel so welcomed, respected and so loved by his entire family.
Four years, a wedding and a baby later and we are still stronger than ever. Yes, we have our fair share of ups and downs but we still make it work. I guess I got lucky my heart knew he was the one even before I realized it. He is the love of my life but he is also my best friend. I could care less that Dylan is a different race, yes it has crossed my mind and yes I knew that it would be a little challenging for us but love makes you color blind and you realize that there are more important things in life than the color of your partner's skin. He lights up my life and I'm totally obsessed with him.
I think our love is beautiful yet there are times when people make us feel like our love is wrong. After a while, I got used to the stares and people looking offended because we were walking hand in hand. I even got used to the negative comments and they did not bother me as much as before but that did not make it OK!
I know how blessed we are to have found each other. There are people who spend their entire existence searching for the "ONE". Love is so much deeper than race, religion or even social background. If we could learn to love each other unconditionally how much better would this world be?
Much love my Britzie’s XOXO
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