Wednesday, November 02, 2005

A Gift From God

Can I talk about my wife for a moment?

I don't know how many of you are married, or even how many of you are men...but if you are a married man, you know the value of a good wife.

And I have a good wife. A great wife, actually. A wife that helps me to be a better husband and father. A wife who will point out my flaws in a loving gentle way, yet also offer me just the right amount of food for my ego. Not too much, else I'll become big-headed. (Well, more big-headed.) But always enough.

She encourages me. She challenges me. In many ways (okay...in most ways) she is the funnier of the two of us. Perhaps I'm just easily amused--I don't know. But there is barely a day that goes by where she doesn't make me laugh.

And she is smart. Very smart. Smart in ways that I am not. Even when I'm right about something...she knows a way to be "righter". About important things, too. Like relationships.

What I know about parenting is because I learned it from her. I shudder at the thought of how I might be with my kids without the support of my wife. I lose my patience easily, expect perfection in ways children can't provide. Yet, she sees that in me. She reins me and helps me to see the bigger picture.

My wife works hard. Harder than I do. I get to sit at a desk every day. What I do is mentally challenging, perhaps. But she is shaping the very lives of our children. She is never left with a moment's peace.

Of course, you might get the impression that there are never hiccups in our marriage. Times when we just don't like each other very much. Those times happen. But when they do, they are short lived. "Do not let the sun descend upon your anger." Painful moments happen...but sometimes they are necessary to grow. Like pruning a rose bush that then grows even more beautiful.

I guess I feel the need to talk about my wife because of last night. We had this great conversation last night. The kind that sticks with you and makes you think. And since she was on my mind, I thought I would take the opportunity to express just a tiny portion of the gratitude I have for her. She is, truly, a gift from God.

I love you, honey!