I love you.

***

You and I have settled down in our relationship, into something that is steady and true.  We know each other.  I know that you will say and do things that shock me at times; like that time you bought a motorcycle without saying a word to me about it.  I found it in the garage one day.  And that other time when you traded in the Lexus for a truck.  I still really miss that car, but I have to admit the truck is more “you”.

You have stayed in the insurance business for the last 16 years but you have never let go of your dreams….you’ve done it all in your dreams….police officer, football player, race car driver, evangelist, homesteader, farmer, truck driver, there is still so much to do.

I’ll never forget the time you came home from work looking a lot more dazed than usual.  You were the first on the scene of a horrible accident and had to pull a trapped man from a burning vehicle; he had already been terribly burned.  You stayed with him until help came.  The man died but he died in a hospital bed and not in a burning vehicle, because of your bravery.

You cry during sad movies.

You love your children deeply, in ways I am just beginning to understand as I see the genuine heartache and tears at the thought of our oldest boy soon to leave the nest.

You are an excellent father.

You are disciplined and like to see things done right.

You respect the men in your family; grandfather, uncles, father, are so important to you.  You try to make them proud and I know that they are so very proud of who you have become.

You love the Lord and are passionate about teaching and preaching the Bible.  In the last few years I have seen you grow and develop in ways I never thought I would see; as a missionary in Jamaica, and as a helper at the teen camp this past fall.  You teach Bible study and Sunday School.  You preach sermons.  I’ve never seen you work so hard as when you have a message to say about God.  You study all night in order to prepare.

You are teaching Ethan to drive.

You stocked the pond with fish for our boys.

You are building a treehouse with them.

You have learned to fix your little daughters’ hair.

You love to run.  (you are downstairs running on the treadmill as I type this, I can hear the pounding rhythm of your feet)

Another favorite memory is from when we were first married and you couldn’t get the coal fire started downstairs as fast as you’d like; so you poured gasoline on it.  The boom from upstairs startled me in the kitchen, and the look on your face when you walked into the room!  You looked like someone who had a narrow escape from death, and the hair on and around your face was all twisted up and burnt.

More recently was when you blew up the kids’ basketball so hard that as soon as you touched it it exploded and tore your fingernail right backwards.  That was another loud sound from your direction.

You’ve gotten your fair share of speeding tickets.

It seems you do things in big ways; big family, big job, big dreams, big home projects……..I LOVE YOU……

I love how you sometimes kiss my feet because you love me so much.

You’re an honest lover.

You hang my pictures on the wall for me.

You are generous with your money and never complain about my shopping trips, and you send me away on adventures with joy.  (oh, wait a sec’…LOL)

You are the one who has the heart to heart talks with our older children, because you have the wisdom and words necessary for the task.

You are worthy of my respect and love; and you have it, with all my heart.

We are one.

It was fun to have babies with you and watch you with them as they grew.

You make me laugh.

You are silent most of the time.  You take forever to answer a simple question.  Sometimes I say “SPEAK!!!” and then you let out a little “woof” just to make me laugh.

I have a carrot cake in the oven for you because that is what you requested.

You leave your hat on the top of the lamp in our room and it used to bother me; but now I just leave it.  I have come to love the sight of it there.

You have twice as many pairs of shoes that I do; but you also wear them out faster.  You have things to do and places to go and miles to run~

 

Thank you for letting me have cats and chickens.

Thank you for overlooking my own many faults.

Thank you for being a good man, not a perfect man, but a good one, with strong character and a hard work ethic.

Thank you for being a provider.

Thank you for keeping yourself in good shape.

Thank you for leading.

Thank you for being fun.

Thank you for marrying me.

Thank you for never keeping your hands to yourself and making me laugh.

Thank you for telling me I am beautiful.

Thank you for who you are.

 

Happy Birthday, husband.