I am the luckiest man alive. Here are a few reasons why (in no particular order).
- I met my wife Rachel when I was about 5 years old. I was in love with her by the time I turned 8.
- Our parents are close personal friends with one another from church.
- We take our coffee almost exactly the same way: two creams, no sugar. (but most of the time her two is a lot more than my two).
- Even though I knew she was the one before I could even do long division, she didn’t realize the inevitability of our future together until after she got out of high school. But that’s typical of each of us – she considers her decisions before making an informed choice while I plow ahead and ask questions later.
- I love that every morning she gets up and goes through her morning routine to get ready for the day (I, on the other hand, was born in Iowa – ’nuff said).
- She is a voracious reader. I don’t even try to keep up anymore.
- In addition to reading written books, she is a master at sodoku and crossword puzzles. (with a mind like a steel trap!)
- My current educational aspiration is to reach the Bachelor Degree level. If my wife went one step further, I’d be calling her “Doctor Rachel”.
- I love that we share a lot of history together. We grew up in the same church, where we were baptized and years later were married there.
- We like a lot of the same shows, like Law & Order: SVU, Miami Ink, The Office and Jon & Kate Plus 8. Sometimes we don’t agree, but most of the time the remote control battles are kept to a minimum.
- I love that she got me my first ear piercing (20th birthday), and then later she got me my first tattoo (23rd birthday).
- I love how her eyes light up when Ethan runs across the room and jumps into her arms. Being a parent with her is almost as fulfilling as being her husband.
- I love that she’s a counselor for adolescents and teenagers. Some of the issues she deals with every day make my “pastoral work” look pretty wimpy in comparison.
- I love that we still play padiddle whenever we’re in the car.
- I love that she’s every bit as organized as I am. She’s a planner and a scheduler, and that’s like a glass of cool refreshing water to my dry & thirsty obsessive-compulsive soul.
- Did I mention that my son is being raised by a licensed professional counselor?
- Before we started dating, the common interest that really sparked our friendship in high school was a desire to serve God. It’s encouraging to have that foundation in our relationship.
- I love that we still hold hands when we walk, that and she prefers it when I put my arm around her while we sit together.
- We’re both have Type A personalities in action, but deep down we’re both really shy. That means that we’re usually very outgoing in public, but are really quiet and reserved at home.
- I still fall more in love with her each day. In a hundred different ways, I’m captivated by her beauty, her personality, her intellect, her passions… She is absolutely breathtaking. I can only imagine the train wreck I would be if God hadn’t blessed me beyond measure with her as my wife.
And finally…
