“She looked at him fondly; that he had been sent to her, when there were so many other, lesser men who might have been sent, was a source of constant gratitude. That we have the people we have in this life, rather than others, is miraculous, she thought; a miraculous gift.”
I generally shy away from social media posts on celebratory occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, and the starting and ending of things. I doubt my ability to capture in words something that won't sound trite or cliche.
Over 6,000 days together is a lot! 17 years is almost 20! December 22 made for a beautiful Christmas wedding. And the year 2000 has a special ring.
Speaking of rings, we had our wedding bands engraved with "Long Live TJ," and "Long Live Ginger" on the insides. As of last summer, TJ's ring is in the bottom of the lake, but no matter. I plan for us to live long together anyway. At this lake. Near the ring.
TJ came to me the other day, after a small row we had in the kitchen, and said, "I'm sorry. I really want to serve you." That changed everything, on the spot. To have a husband who can humble himself is a great gift.
To have a generous and kind and handsome person to talk to, to sit with, to cook for, to parent with, and to grow old with is almost all I need. How did I get so lucky that he also listens to all the Anne Lamott quotes I want to read him and drives the boat anytime I want to ski?
TJ, you are the man for me. You are a rock star entrepreneur, you indulge my tastes for Taylor Swift and even watch shows like I Heart Radio's "Jingle Ball" with me, you make me care less about food (in a good way), you take me on dates, you don't care if I wear the same clothes all the time, you let me buy books, you compliment me, you listen to me, you listen to me some more, you buy me things like the iPhone X and Shipt to make life easier, you go to sleep with the light on so I can read, you make me a better thinker by how you think, and you love Village Church as much as I do. You love the Lord. You love me. You are generous. You are thoughtful. You care about the kids. You see them and you love them. "Love, serve, engage, have fun," you said, and with that you made my world.
There are a few lines from an Alexander McCall Smith book that say just what I would want to say to TJ as we celebrate our anniversary tomorrow. The opening lines were spoken by a husband to a wife in the book, so if you will imagine that part in reverse as you read the quote, you will know my heart toward TJ one day shy of our 17th anniversary.
“He looked up from his stew. “Mma Ramotswe,” he said, “you can do anything. Nothing is too hard for a person like you - nothing. You are very good at doing everything, Mma, and anything you do, Mma - anything at all - will always be the right thing as far as I am concerned.
She gazed at her husband. Being loved and admired by a man like that...was like walking in the sunshine; it gave the same feeling of warmth and pleasure to bask in the love of one who has promised it, publicly at a wedding ceremony, and who is constant in his promise that such love will be given for the rest of his days. What more could any woman ask? None of us, she thought, not one single one of us, could ask for anything more than that. ”
Long live TJ!