Pictures are indeed worth a thousand words.

I met my husband in April of 1976 when he was 18 and I was 17. I was tired of guys always teasing me about being skinny and yet on the flip side trying to get into my pants. I was harassed constantly for being a virgin and told that I was "scared." This only made me more determined to find someone who appreciated me for not giving it away. When I met Michael Preston he shared that he had already had 2 girlfriends who had babies that were not his and he was looking for a girl who had not given it away to every guy and who would be faithful.

He was stunned when I admitted that I was a virgin and asked me several times if it was really true. I told him I was seeking someone to appreciate my values and at that moment I believe we both knew that we might be just right for each other. He took off his bracelet and gave it to me and I, in turn, removed my own bracelet and presented it to him. I have shared this before and always say that in some cultures we were actually married at that moment. The following year, 1977 we attended a concert at the local Civic Center and he suggested that we dress alike.

We both purchased dark green 3 piece pants suits with jacket, vest, and pants. Sometime later we attended another concert and this time we were matching in brown suits. In the summer of 1978, Patty Labelle came to town on a Sunday night. This time we were matching all-white 3 piece suits and received many compliments. We married in 1981 and continued the trend over the years when we attended the annual Blue Jean Ball. Only once do I recall that I actually wore a pair of jeans but I do remember in 1985 we both dressed in black tuxedo outfits.

In April of 1986, we again dressed in black but this time I was wearing a black satin skirt and short jacket that he bought me for Christmas with a pink blouse. In 1987 the Blue Jean Ball had a contest for the best dressed and I knew we would win. I was wearing an aqua mini dress with matching shoes and Michael was wearing an aqua suit with a matching cumberbund and shoes. For whatever reason, he did not want to go on stage and compete in the contest and I complained about it for years because I knew we would have been the winners.

In more recent years Michael would order us matching suits that we would wear to church on Easter Sunday. The last three were pink, light blue, and white. As I looked at these photos recently I had a revelation on something that my spouse was saying to me with all of this dressing alike. It goes back to a conversation I had with him about one of my Facebook friends. This man announced one year that he had been married 33 years and that his wife had been a virgin. He was proud of the fact that no other man had been with her.

After seeing him state this for a third time I shared it with Michael and jokingly asked why he did not announce to the world that he was the only man who had been with me. Michael just looked at me and smiled and no I did not expect him to announce this to the world because he was private. As I reflect upon our history of dressing alike I realized that my dearly departed companion of 45 years had been shouting to the world that he was my one and only all along.

Each time he lovingly and carefully chose an outfit for me that matched one he bought for himself he was telling the world we were one. In spite of our trials and tribulations, we remained together and the matching attire was his way of shouting out like my Facebook friend that he was proud of me as his wife and the fact that he was my one and only. I share this for women whose spouses are still with them and add a word of caution. Pay attention to what your husband does to make you feel special more so than what he says. All men are not verbal and all men do not operate in the same manner.

Each time Michael dressed us alike or put up a joint photo as his Facebook profile image he was telling me through his actions that he appreciated the fact that I did not cheat on him and have another man's baby as did the two young women before me. This makes me think about a coworker whose husband would send her flowers at least twice a month to the office for quite some time. She said it was his way of making up for arguments they had. Your spouse may be sending you signals that he loves you, appreciates you or is sorry for some transgression but you are missing it because you are waiting for the words to come out of his mouth.

I'm glad that I told my husband thank you for every outfit he purchased for me. I am so happy that I let him know how much it meant that he wanted me to dress like him. I admit I verbalized I love you more than he did over the decades but he was telling me all the time by the way he dressed me. Wives, please pay attention to the subtle manner your spouse is shouting out loud that you are the love of his life in spite of any marital difficulties you may have endured. Make sure to let him know you appreciate him before it's too late. Sometimes pictures and actions speak louder than words.