The reality of having a good woman by your side

People throw that phrase around a lot—“having a good woman by your side.”

But I don’t think most people really understand what that means until they’ve lived it.

I already know my wife Melissa is loyal. I know she’s faithful. Not because she says it—but because of what we’ve been through together.

We didn’t start off comfortable.

We started off at one of the lowest points in both of our lives.

When I met her, I had a place I could’ve stayed. But she didn’t. And I made a decision—I wasn’t going to leave her out there alone. 

 we got into a couples shelter. We stayed there about a month and a half, going through late fall into early winter. Not exactly easy conditions, but we had each other—and that mattered more than anything at the time.

After that, things started to shift a little.

Melissa was able to get some assistance, and I had just started working—literally one week in. Somehow, a landlord took a chance on us. Looking back, that wasn’t luck. That was someone seeing something in us and giving us an opportunity.

We got our first apartment together like that.

Things were going good for a while. Then COVID hit.

Like a lot of people, we fell into a tough place mentally. It took a toll on both of us, and we had to leave that apartment. The only option we had at the time was moving into a suite.

It wasn’t ideal. But again—we adjusted.

That’s kind of been our story.

There’s not always a lot of money. But somehow, we always manage. We’ve never had everything we want, but we’ve always had what we need—and usually a little extra at just the right time.

I believe God takes care of us. Not in some big, obvious way—but in those small moments where things line up just enough to keep us going.

We both hustle in our own ways.

We do reselling together—going out, finding things for cheap, flipping them when we can. Most of the time, the trip pays for itself and then some. It’s not huge money, but it’s something we build together.

Melissa is also working on her stationery shop. It’s not fully up and running yet, but she’s building it piece by piece. And when she gets a sale, even a small one, you can see how much it means to her.

She’s grateful for everything.

And that’s one of the biggest things about her.

She thanks me for working. She appreciates what I do. At the same time, she holds it down at home. We’re a little old-fashioned in that way—I go out and work, and she takes care of the household.

But it’s not about roles—it’s about support.

She believes in me. She supports me. She has this steady kind of faith that things are going to work out as long as we stay together and keep moving forward.

And honestly, that does something to you as a man.

It makes you want to be better. It makes you want to show up. It makes you take things more seriously because you’re not just doing it for yourself anymore.

We don’t need a lot.

We’ve been at the bottom. We’ve had to figure things out the hard way. So now, just having stability, having each other, having a path forward—that’s enough.

And somehow, no matter what situation we’ve been in…

Things always work out.

Not perfectly. Not instantly.

But they do.

That’s what having a good woman by your side really looks like.

It’s not about everything being easy.

It’s about never having to face anything alone.