Love Of My Life

It's true that I am madly in love with my kids.  But sometimes in my swooning over these precious little ones, I may neglect to talk about the one who came first, the first love of my life - my husband.  This eve of Valentine's day has me feeling particularly grateful for the man who loved me first, and whose constant love and faithfulness make this life such a joy to walk through.

A few weeks ago a friend and I were talking about marriage, and particularly the state of marriage in our culture.  She was commenting on the number of unhappy marriages she sees around her, and when I told her that I was happy in my own marriage, she asked if I was in love.  You know how sometimes words leave your mouth, each one of them striking you to the core?  Mine were as follows:  "Yes, more than ever!"  And I really meant it.

After eight years of marriage, I would be lying if I said we have never had our struggles.  But when I look at who we are as a couple, we are happy.  Of course we have disagreements, but they don't colour the whole of our relationship.  As I talked to my friend a little more, I realized that probably has a lot to do with the kind of person my husband is.  While men often tend to keep their problems inside and pretend nothing is wrong, Jeff is never shy about letting me know exactly where he is at, whether he thinks I'll like it or not.  He may not volunteer that information, but I can be certain if I ask him a question I'll get an honest answer.  It is the quality I was first attracted to, and that I most admire in him - he lives with such integrity.

He is also good at being the first one to say he that he is wrong, which actually makes me wonder if maybe I shouldn't grow more in that area, because while I don't mean to wait for him to say it, more often than not he is the first one to apologize after a disagreement.  There is nothing pretentious about him - he is who he is whether we are home by ourselves or in a crowd; whether he is having a beer with friends or talking to our parish priest after mass.

And boy, does he know how to love me.  This is another area where, when I think about it, I really need to do some work.  He showers me with affection and words of praise, and tends to me like I am a princess.  He is so appreciative of what I do at home, and he is quick to draw me a bath if I mention I need to relax.  He makes me feel like I am the best person in the world, which makes me want to be - for him.  At the same time he is good at calling me out on my faults, so that I can grow more into the kind of wife and mother I need to be.

In short, he is my everything.

Happy Valentine's Day, my love.  I am eternally grateful that God has lead me into your life.  No words could ever convey the gift you are to me.  I love you more than anything!

Jeff and I, back in 1998

I think he might be the love
of someone else's life too!