Friday, October 2, 2015

Majestic





My Love,
Just over 22 years ago I took you to this restaurant to officially ask you to marry me. Of course, we both knew the answer beforehand so I was taking very little risk that night. It did make things official though and a few months later we married in an old stone church in Brookside. It was a beautiful fall day; I was blessed with a beautiful bride and you with a very lucky man.

Ten years later I surprised you, my charming mother of three, with a trip to Prince Edward Island and the north Atlantic. While you got to visit a childhood dream location, you also had to endure my endless stops to take photographs of every lighthouse and covered bridge along the eastern seaboard. It was a beautiful fall week and my love for you only grew.

For our twentieth anniversary I took my lovely wife to Greece, with more than a little help from the Department of Defense, as a little getaway from the duties of a family of seven. There you were able to walk on the same ground that Paul walked and see the ruins of Thessoloniki and Athens. And you also climbed up cliff and mountain so I could explore my childhood remembrance of tales of Alexander the Great and visit the Monasteries of Meteora because of a story that still tries to write itself from deep inside my head. The sun was bright, most of the week, and you were radiant.

But not every anniversary has been a dream vacation. This year, you will get a call from me as I sit on the other side of the world. We will pray that the connection is good. And after a short conversation we will go on about our days separately. You will teach Belle the alphabet, help Bear with his math and reading, instruct Abi and Isaac with their coursework. You will probably have already taken Silas for a walk. You will continue to manage our home flawlessly even while protesting that you could do better. Your humble service to our home is a wonderful example to our children and a blessing to us all. It makes me love you all the more.

This will not be our most romantic anniversary. But every year with you is better than the year before. God deepens my ability to love you far beyond what I thought was possible. I am always amazed at the depth of your love for me. Thank you for your love, your respect and your encouragement. You make me a better man. As always, you will give me the best end of this deal. 

You are my glory. Every day I thank God for you.



Happy Anniversary, My Love.