Gabby Giffords Gets a Love Letter From Her Husband, Senator Mark Kelly

To mark International Women’s Day 2021, we’re celebrating some of our favorite women—with tributes from some of their favorite women. From Gabby Giffords to Judy Blume, these women have inspired us, moved us, and shown us that a better world is possible. We’ll be sharing their stories here all week. For more stories of women breaking barriers, get a copy of Glamour’s new book, Glamour: 30 Years of Women Who Have Reshaped the World.

Dear Gabby,

This might not be a very traditional love letter. After all, our life together has been anything but conventional. Let’s start at the beginning: On our first date, you took me to visit the Arizona state prison in Florence. It was definitely not your average first date. That day, all of the qualities that make you so extraordinary shone through: your care for other people and your willingness to listen and learn. Your love for our beautiful state of Arizona, which you served in the state and federal legislatures. Your skepticism and your ready smile, that big laugh that just lifts everyone around you up with you. It was a great date.

After that unexpected beginning, I was hooked. In between training as an astronaut and trying to log as many flight hours as possible, I would visit you in Arizona. I remember those visits, not only for the anticipation of seeing you, but seeing the way you love Arizona—the mountains, the desert, the smell of creosote bushes when it rains—is powerful. And with you as my guide—on foot, on your bike, on your motorcycle in the old days—that landscape became a part of me too.

Years later I had to take another memorable flight to Arizona. On January 8, 2011, I got the call that you had been shot. I flew to Tucson from Houston, with my girls, Claudia and Claire, and my mom. By now most people know your story: how you defied the odds and lived. How you worked to be able to walk, to read, to ride your bike, to advocate for policy change—and to do it all using only your left hand. Your struggle to learn to speak again has inspired people all over the world, in part because you have shared it so courageously and openly. Your example has inspired others with new resolve, and you have shown people that there’s no hurdle so big they cannot make progress getting over it, because you never give up.

What people may not know is that even when finding the words may be difficult, you connect with people in ways that others cannot. Watching you communicate is like watching a symphony being played. The way you lean toward people, the way you gesture, the way you reach out to touch people, the way you use your eyes and your smile and your laugh. Your ability to find joy with your friends and family, to engage with your team on tough issues, to understand the hopes and dreams of people you’ve only just met, is a gift. I have learned so much from you.