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Today I have the great pleasure to introduce Matthew R Merrick. I met Matthew on Twitter through a mutual friend and was quickly delighted by his humor and energy. We struck up conversations ranging from the ugliness of grammar Nazis to the best father/daughter dates. His two little girls are very lucky to have a good dad.

Matthew is a writer full of life and passion and this is clear in his story. For all you aspiring writers who are planning to devote your first book your spouse, this one’s for you.

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BECAUSE I KNEW YOU

by M. R. Merrick

Every person we meet in our lives, whether they become a lifelong friend, or simply a fleeting moment of introduction, leaves a mark. Each person we invest ourselves in goes a step further than that; they change us. Whether for better or for worse is not important, each of them, if only for a moment, becomes a part of who we are, and who we will be.

At nineteen I met someone who changed everything for me; who I was, who I would be, and what I would accomplish. Since hindsight is twenty/twenty, I see now that a job application would rupture my world and send me on incredible journey of love, hardships, and a passion for life. She was one of my managers at a restaurant and a few years older than me, but it wasn’t until a few months after I’d left that job that it happened.

We saw each other at an event and started to catch up, which quickly turned to a coffee date, which unbeknownst to me, would turn into two beautiful baby girls, becoming a better man than I ever thought I’d be, and making dreams I never knew I had, come true.

Before I met her, I was constantly jumping from one path to another, trying to find the one that would take me to instant success. A success I didn’t understand. I didn’t know what I wanted or how to get there; I just knew I wanted it now. I didn’t have patience. I was a firecracker of emotions. I was a wild card, at best, and the most predictable thing about me, was the fact that I would do something unpredictable. I’d make decisions based solely on how I felt in that moment and it almost never worked out for the best. In short, I was a mess.

In our first years together, my wife gave me something I never really had; the confidence to be myself and the ability to follow my heart. She always encourages me and pushes me forward. When things are at their lowest, she stands beside me. When I’m not strong enough, she is strong enough for both of us. When I doubt myself, she grabs both sides of my face, forces me to look her in the eyes, and says “I’m here with you and I know you can do this. You can do anything.” She may believe that, but the truth is, it’s not me that can do anything, it’s us. Her support and belief in me is my endless, driving force.

Because of her, I discovered a love for writing. I found a dream of becoming a published author because after a long, hard week, I randomly sat down and wrote a few pages about another person, in a different world, with impossible abilities, and she let me talk her face off about it. She saw the excitement in my eyes and even though she had a long, hard week too, it made her happy to see that joy in me. Little did I know, she would nourish that new spark of passion and turn it into a raging fire.

My wife has fortified me in every aspect of life. Even when she disagrees with me, she still supports my decisions. When I’m right, she smiles, and when I’m wrong, she doesn’t throw it my face. She’s held my hand through both the most difficult, and the best moments of my life. She always listens to me and she’s more than just my partner, she’s my best friend.

Because I met her, I’ve received some of the highest rewards life has to offer. Because I met her, I discovered my passion, something I hope everyone find in their life. Because I met her, I have been forever changed and given the opportunity to know the most incredible person I’ve ever met. A selfless person who puts herself before everyone else, and who’s unwavering faith in people makes me strive to be a better person.

In the past seven years, I’ve become someone I’m proud of and someone I want my kids to look up to. I’ve become more open, caring, and accepting than ever before. I’ve learned patience, confidence, and humility. And I’m happy. I see the beauty in life and I know the innocence of children. It’s that innocence that reopened my imagination. It’s because of that imagination, that I have a storybook full of other worlds, characters, and magic, floating through my mind. And it’s that magic that lets me tell stories to the world. Without her, I wouldn’t have this life, but because I met her, I have everything.

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M.R. Merrick is a Canadian writer and author of Exiled & Shift, the first two installments in The Protector series.

Having never traveled, he adventures to far off lands through his imagination and in between cups of coffee. As a music lover and proud breakfast enthusiast, he’s usually found at the computer between a pair of headphones, and in front of a large bowl of cereal.