Dear Brad,
I can hardly believe it has been five years since you slipped a ring on my finger and I slipped one on yours.
Five years since we promised to love and cherish each other as husband and wife until death separates us.
Five years since I was sure I had just lived the best day of my life.
But five years later, I know it was just the beginning of a love story that only gets better with time.
We added the roles of "father and mother" to "husband and wife" eleven months after saying "I do." You said you were nervous about holding a baby since you had little to no experience with newborns. But as soon as Charity Sofia entered the world at home in our bedroom, you embraced her like it was the most natural thing in the world. You were born to be a Dad.
19 months later, God gave us Judah Paul. I'm so glad you have a son. There's just something about watching you with our boy that takes my breath away. He is your shadow, your copy-cat, your biggest fan. The way he claps his chubby hands together and jumps up and down, races to find his shoes, and grins from ear to ear when I say, "We're going to see Daddy at work!" tells me you're his hero. I hope he grows up to be just like you and treats his future bride just like you treat me.
One year later, our third child was born to Heaven at 11 weeks gestation, shortly after we had excitedly announced to everyone that we were expecting again. By God's grace, we made it through that physically and emotionally painful week in the hospital. You knew Jesus could comfort me in a way that you couldn't so we cried over His Word together when I didn't have the courage to read it myself. I can't wait until we can see our Baby together for the first time when the Lord calls us to trade this life for the next.
Half a year later, we found ourselves expecting again but our joy quickly turned to sadness when we rushed to the hospital, convinced I was miscarrying again at 9 weeks. "I see a heart-beat!" Those words of life and hope would be repeated to us dozens of times by an ultrasound technician throughout the rocky pregnancy that included 20 weeks of bed-rest and moving in with your parents. At 34 weeks, I went into labor and our dear Anna Grace was born healthy and strong at 5 pounds, 2 ounces! We had been the objects of God's undeserved mercy and grace and were absolutely overwhelmed with joy by our precious miracle.
Our lives are busy and our days are full, but somehow you always manage to make me feel like the center of your world. Every day, in a thousand ways, you tell me how much you love me and though I often take it for granted, I couldn't imagine life without your sweet gestures and affection:
... "I love you," whispered in my ear each morning before you head to work,
... washing dishes in the evening together and putting off getting our dishwasher fixed because we enjoy the bonding time too much,
... curling up to you after the kids are in bed and hearing your deep voice read out loud to me,
... watching the kids shriek with delight when you run around the house with them on your shoulders,
... kisses planted on my cheek in the kitchen when you set your lunch box on the counter,
... witnessing the births of our children, and rejoicing over the blessings that God has entrusted into our care,
... driving into town when I'm pregnant to pick up a specific flavor of pizza from a specific franchise because it's the only thing I crave even though it's full of gluten and you won't be able to eat a slice yourself,
... coming home with my favorite coffee when you've "just gone to get gas,"
... forgetting and forgiving all the times I'm grumpy, whiny, and discontent,
... giving 110% at work all day and coming home to lovingly greet your wife and patiently listen to three excited children who have a hundred and one things they want to tell you as soon as you step inside the door,
... even though I find mowing the lawn therapeutic, you always beat me to it because you're a true gentleman. Same goes for shoveling the driveway, taking out the garbage, and emptying the compost,
... praying with and for me, leading family worship, long talks involving our deep, mutual interests: homeschooling, politics, entrepreneurship, and economics,
... you excel where I shy away, especially in positions that require leadership and efficiency,
... how you always call and ask, "Can I bring supper home?" exactly when I'm feeling overwhelmed and way behind on everything,
... how you send me an email every day from work asking how my day's going and and never forgetting to end it with: "Love you!"
... how you pat your stomach after dinner and say, "Honey, that was a meal fit for a king," even if it was one of my experiments gone wrong,
... I love how I fit perfectly inside your embrace when you wrap your arms around me and say, "Let's just hug for a few minutes," while I'm cooking dinner...
... the interest you take in this little blogging hobby of mine and how you happily take the time to edit my posts and compile my eBooks even though you could be doing so many other things,
... the way you put your family first, the way you mean what you say and say what you mean, the way you have never once raised your voice at me in anger, the way you make us feel safe, secure, cherished, and treasured.
How does that saying go?
You're the peanut to my butter, water to my ocean, glaze on my doughnut, spring in my step, twinkle in my eye, blue in my sky, cherry to my sundae, flip to my flop, milk to my cookie, sweet in my dreams, beat of my heart, cheese to my macaroni, best to my friend, love of my life.
Sweetheart, if the Lord tarries, I hope to spend dozens and dozens and dozens of half-decades with you. Each day, I'm more in love with you than the last and these past five years have been the best ones of my life. I would say "I do" all over again in a heartbeat.
5 years ago, I had no idea marriage could be this glorious... I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us for the rest of together.
I love you.
Your wifey,
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