Happy Birthday Miranda!

Today is my wife’s birthday!

How old is she? You will have to ask her.

This morning was an adventure. As we were all getting ready for school and work my five-year-old decided that she wasn’t going to tell her mother “Happy Birthday” because Miranda had received her presents on Saturday (when her mom came to visit). Well, that just wasn’t going to do. I told our lovely daughter that she needed to tell her mother “Happy Birthday” and “I love you” and like it! So, that’s how the morning started. It was quite entertaining.

I am terrible at gift choosing. And, I hope I am getting better at letting her know what she means to me. But, today I will do what I do best write.

I was thinking this morning. Miranda and I are getting to the point where we have known each other for half of our lives. Next year we will have known each other longer than having not known each other. That is a crazy idea. We have seen a lot together. We have walked through some difficult times in that period of time. We have seen some amazing miracles as well. I will not pretend that everything has turned out as we planned, but I am glad that we made it through each moment together.

What do you do for the woman that makes you feel and allows you to be yourself?

What can you give to a woman that has given to you two of the greatest gifts, our two wonderful daughters?

What do you say to the woman that still takes your breath away when you look at her?

“I Love You,” just doesn’t begin to describe it. I have heard and read about how love just seems to grow and deepen over time. I never understood what that meant (and to a large degree I am still learning). Every moment of our lives together has not been pleasant, but I wouldn’t change one. Each moment and event has worked to make us who we are individually and as a marriage. I am so thankful that God brought us together in the way that he did.

I am one of the most fortunate men to have ever lived. I give thanks to God every day for my life and my wife. She is a wonderful human being, a godly woman, and a loving mother. She puts up with me (which should be enough to get you into heaven) and has given to me the grace to discover God’s purpose in my life.

I will never be able to repay the debt of her love for me. My only hope is to live in a way that is worthy of the love she so freely gives.

Happy Birthday, Miranda!