Just the other day, I was given a gift. It was the gift of you, my darling husband. I call you my gift because I can remember night after night, laying in my bed, praying for you. I didn’t know who I was praying for, of course, but I knew that God knew (and ultimately, our story is HIS STORY)!
You know, back then, I had such a “Hollywood” picture in my head of romance and marriage. That description, that view, was the one I always thought of as perfect. But now…now “perfect” is completely different in my mind. “Perfect” IS us…not that our marriage is the ultimate marriage on the planet, because we both know it isn’t…but perfect as in, “God sure knew what He was doing and I wouldn’t have it any other way!” Perfect for me….for us… that’s what I’m getting at!
In ten years, we have been through a ton, and what I love about both of us is that we are fighters. We have fought our way through some very tough times. We have hit our knees together to hold on to what we have. We have dug in our heels and done some hard work. And the payoff is what I see in our marriage today. You…this…has been worth sticking in there!! God has blessed us more than we could possibly have imagined!
Today, on this tenth anniversary, I just want to let you know how amazingly thankful I am that God gave me you! There’s a multitude of things I appreciate about you and I don’t want you to ever think that I don’t notice all the hundreds of ways you sacrifice yourself to take such wonderful care of me and the girls. You know I’m a list-maker, so it’s only natural that I make a list. I love you, for all the things listed below, and for soooooo much more!!! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, BABY!!!! As you said in church on Sunday, I look forward to the next sixty more;)
Things I love about you (in no particular order):
That you are yielded to the Lord
That you love me unconditionally
That you are an amazing dad
That you load the dishes a lot because you know it’s the chore I most hate
That you don’t let me carry suitcases because you know it will hurt my back
That you put up with my injury and all that it involves
That you took such great care of me when I was physically at my worst
That you can cook really delicious food (lucky chubby me!)
That you put up with my “stopping to smell the roses” attitude
That you get something on your mind and you have to do it, right then!
That you throw yourself wholeheartedly into everything you do
That you are the most non-judgmental person I know
That you can “see” people for who they are, not what they say (perceptive)
That you notice things no one else does (like the little girl who lost her mommy at the mall)
That you are willing to give anybody a second chance
That you are a Southern gentleman who knows how to treat a lady
That you don’t hold grudges
That you take pride in your family
That you can make me laugh at myself and life in general
That sometimes when I pick up the phone, you still say, “Hey Beautiful!”
That when we are apart, I still know you are thinking about me cause you send me little text messages
That you don’t complain about having to do all the big grocery shopping cause I can’t (heavy carts with sticking wheels!)
That you buy me Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds, Dr. Pepper, and Nutella cause you know they are my addictions
That you give me lots and lots of hugs
That you bought me a camo baseball cap
That you take me hunting with you
That you get so excited when I go hunting with you (like a kid at Christmas)
That you treat each of our girls like a princess
That you turn to mush with each of them
That you don’t complain…ever…when you are called out in the middle of the night, early morning, at supper, or anytime to go and help someone in need
That you would give someone the shirt off of your back if they needed it
That you love a good deal and you are frugal
That you are a leader
That you don’t shy away from preaching the Word (and stepping on a few toes for the glory of God!)
That you hunger for more of God
That you are yearning to do His will, even if it’s a hard path to follow at times
That you are an encourager
That you go along with some of my silly ideas just to make me happy
That you are a giver
That you sometimes have a weird sense of humor
That you love to laugh and have a good time
That you are such a true friend to others
That you keep me on my toes
That you help me in my unending quest to make it on time
That you know how to make the girls’ start laughing in the middle of a crying fit (and ok, I admit it, you’ve done that for me once or twice too)
That you always remember my birthday
That you give good advice
That you take time out for your family
That you go out of your way to make “us” work
That you are a good listener (let me repeat, “That you are a good lis-ten-er!”…hahaha!)
That you sing silly stuff all the time
That you are cute when you are ornery and tired (most of the time)
That you sometimes keep the kids so I can go shopping alone
That you are honorable
That you let God speak through you
That you tell me you love me all the time
That you would fight for your family, or die for us, if that’s what had to happen
That you asked me to marry you!!!!
I love you,
I love you,
