No disrespect to Hollywood rom-coms, but Chris and Lilian Wilson are living the REAL love story.
They are two people with brokenness from their past who embrace that history and find completion in each other. They lift each other up, stand by each otherâs side, have fun together and work together to raise their three beautiful children Tristan, Ariana and Cole.
The way Chris tells it, Lilian is the rock that helped him become the husband, father and person he is today. Any time doubt crept into his head early in their relationship, or when he convinced himself Lilian was too good for him, she had a way of reassuring him. Over time, he said she played a huge role in helping him respect himself and know what it means to love.
âI wasnât a very nice person when I was younger,â Chris said. âI grew up arguing and fighting everything and everybody, both physically and verbally. My trust level was next to nothing. Because of it, I was very bitter and angry and I just didnât treat people properly. Through that whole month where I was courting her and then after when we started dating and talking more, I was like, âYou know what, no way a girl like this would like me. No way this beautiful woman would love me.â
âEvery time I took a break in the relationship or a pause, she never left me. She was always there. She wrote me a letter telling me she wasnât going anywhere and that itâs OK to love and be loved. She never walked away from me.â
Flirting on the job led to courting, which led to dating, which led to a marriage proposal, a âForeverâ tattoo on Chrisâ arm and the start of a family. But like their lives before they met, that part wouldnât come easy. For reasons that still arenât clear, Lilian struggled to go full-term in the first two of her three pregnancies.
The strain could have been enough to break them. The medical attention, the finances, the worries and fears, they too often divide young couples. Chris worked long hours and shuttled back and forth from his job to the hospital until Mom and her babies could come home. Chris and Lilian leaned on each other when uncertainty loomed and doctors didnât always help.
âYou just hope for the best,â Chris said. âYou pray for the best. It left her with a lot of questions why she couldnât carry them the full nine months. Was it her? Was it something else? Was it food? Was it this? Was it that? Doctors didnât have answers for us.â
The family banded together and blossomed through the hardships. Tristan and Ariana grew into sweet kids who appreciate the many hats their mom wears.
By the time Cole came along and made it a family of five, the young parents had already taken big steps to help their kids have the kind of conventional childhood they couldnât have.
âI donât think she ever wanted the kids to have that feeling of not being wanted or needed and loved,â Chris said. âThe greatest thing in her life is her kids. Hands down. And her love for them is second to none.â
Lilian goes over the top to show that kind of unconditional love, and it doesnât go unnoticed.
âYeah, of course I notice,â Tristan said. âThatâs one of the best things ever about her.â
âSince the first day I was born, I knew she was the one and only perfect mom for me,â Ariana added.
Before that came to be, Chris and Lilian checked their own imperfections at the door to build a relationship on acceptance and trust. Their three young children will be better for learning from that example.
âTwo people who were broken in heart and broken in spirit came together and fixed each other,â Chris said.