Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Fifty Things to Love About My 50-Year-Old Man

If I'd been smarter, I'd have seen this day coming and would have started thinking about this post before 10 a.m. on his actual birthday. But since I've been living this summer by the seat of my pants, I will now proceed to dash off 50 things about my one-and-only...before I have to leave for my yoga class! (That I cannot miss even though it's his birthday because it's been too long since my 50-year-old body has been there and I FEEL IT. Such a typical scenario. You can only do how much you can do.)

1. I am blessed beyond measure that my husband deeply loves me.

2. And God. I'm sure it's because of his love for God and God's love for him that he can find the grace to hang in there with me-at-my-worst.

3. Which he does, all the time.

4. He also seems to really like me, most of the time.

5. He likes to listen to me talk, of all things.

6. He even mostly remembers things I tell him.

7. He gives me good advice on a regular basis.

8. And loves me even when I don't take it.

9. But mostly we make a good team.

10. Even though we tend to notice the things we don't agree on, we are on the same page on so many things that it's easy to take them for granted.

11. Faith, for example. Years ago, I thought about marrying a guy who had plans for his life; God was welcome to join him. Instead, I married the guy who was committed to following wherever God led.

12. As fellow adventurers in following God, we've had six children.

13. We've followed God's leading to move to Wisconsin and help plant a church.

14. We've lived by faith on many decisions, large and small.

15. Including buying the house we live in presently, which made no sense except through the lens of faith.

16. He's been the rock when my faith wavered.

17. He's the stable one when I'm tired, weak and emotional.

18. He lets us reverse roles sometimes too.

19. He is incredibly patient.

20. He is an amazing pastor.

21. To our kids as well as to those in our small congregation.

22. He is gifted in wisdom and knowledge.

23. He is gifted in prayer.

24. He is gifted in healing.

25. He is a great speaker and storyteller.

26. Even if I have to bite my tongue sometimes to keep from correcting the inaccurate details!

27. He has a compassionate heart.

28. He oozes wisdom and compassion when he counsels others.

29. People trust this guy, and they are right to do so.

30. He is an excellent leader.

31. He always knows how to speak diplomatically in tense situations.

32. In those situations, I am always amazed at his vocabulary and word choice, which I would never in a million years be able to come up with.

33. He's always reading something interesting.

34. He always sends me interesting articles.

35. He knows what I'd be interested in.

36. And he shares things that he's interested in, just to keep me up-to-date with his latest mental projects.

37. He likes having people over, informally, and together we've developed a hospitality that God uses.

38. Somehow it feeds us instead of draining us, which I'm sure is the Lord's doing, but I have to credit my husband with launching us down that path.

39. He also led us down the Anglican path, which was way outside my comfort zone, but which I love now!

40. I love that he's an ordained Anglican priest.

41. He has such a joyful and honest way of leading a service.

42. I love that our boys all have gone through a phase where they thought they would like to become a priest too, someday. (B10 is still in it. He also would like to be bald, just like his daddy.)

43. I think he looks incredibly handsome in all his vestments.

44. And in jeans and button-down shirts, which always remind me of the college boy he was when we met.

45. That college boy used to sing to me, snatches from musicals, especially "Pretty Women."

46. I still love hearing his tenor voice.

47. I love that our kids inherited his singing abilities.

48. Did I mention that he's much, much smarter than I am?

49. And humble, too?

50. Best of all, he's loved me for 29 years!

Happy 50th, Honey! You are such a blessing to me, our family and our church, for all the reasons I've listed and here and so many more!!! May God bless you as you bless so many others!

1 comment:

Dixie said...

I must remember to do this! Beautiful!