Blurry Line of the Lino Life

I don't always recognize it. In fact, after 12+ years of marriage, the line of it is often blurred. I was reminded this week.....I'm married to a foreigner.

for·eign·er

[fawr-uh-ner, for-]–noun

1. a person not native to or naturalized in the country or jurisdiction under consideration; alien.

2. a person from outside one's community.

3. a thing produced in or brought from a foreign country.

When I first typed that, it sounded a bit strange. When we were dating, I hardly even noticed that the red-headed, accented guy was 'not from around here'. He liked American sports, knew how to order at trendy restaurants, could drive on the right hand side of the road, and could understand almost all of my Texan version of English. Actually, most everything we did was the Texas version of the American way. It's still that way.

But he is a foreigner. My sweet husband moved to the States from the country of South Africa 11 years prior to our first date in college. He wasn't born in Aggieland where we met or anywhere in the land of the free. The Lino family of five left everything except what fit in 7 suitcases. Family, pets, friends, culture, everything familiar - all left behind, all given up.

I have never fully realized everything he has given up to make our life together a seamless fit of our two cultures and ways of life. This week, I have been reminded of so many of the sacrifices he has made for us. His childhood friend from Africa is here visiting with his wife and the reminiscing is endless. Dinner with Nathan's parents, plus the visiting friends was such a reminder of the life he had before America and his American wife. It was a great life. One he remembers with such fondness. I am so thankful for the experiences he had prior to our life together. I am so thankful for his willingness to embrace our culture and blend our family into a wonderful combination of his South African roots and my Texas heritage.

He has done an amazing job of keeping the line blurry. I love that foreign man!