A lot of years. Together.

Happy anniversary, dear man.

I could never have imagined how amazing life would be with you. You created a place that far surpassed my dreams and wishes. A place that we could call home for four decades. What fun to make it so. Together. 

Together. What an awesome concept.

 

Together we created a safe place where we could both flourish and grow. Not sure how we even knew how to do that, but somehow we stumbled into it. A safe place to raise kids. Oh, the kids! Yep, more kids than we could have imagined.

First there were the beautiful baby girls who grew into amazing, kind, compassionate, confident, strong women. Delightful women who are like both of us in the best of ways - and then some.

There were the foster kids who needed a home. Seventeen of them who became part of our family for a little while - some for a few days or a few weeks - and some for a few years. There were others who needed a second home. Who needed a safe place to heal and grow.

There were a whole bunch of guys who needed a dad - so you invested in them. Not only did they hang out at our place, but you planned camping trips for them. And spelunking trips and mission trips and diving trips.

There were those who came from other countries (at least five of them) who needed to hang out with a real American family for awhile. And let's not forget our sisters and aunts and other relatives who needed a temporary place to live. And the friends who lived with us for a month or a year.

I've lost count (somewhere around fifty) of the people who called our house home during the years. And that doesn't even touch the dozens (or maybe hundreds) of teens and adults and families who came to play "Capture the Flag" or paint ball in the woods or to climb the high ropes course or for a quiet retreat.




Together. We did all of that together. What an adventure!

But that safe place we created wasn't just a piece of real estate. It was far bigger than a plot of ground - which was why we could find the courage to walk away. Twice. Once to pack up the fam and move to a third world country for a year and again when the time was right to let it go.

That safe place was a haven where we both grew in our faith, in our giftedness and in our mission. We grew in honesty and vulnerability, in compassion, in gratitude and in generosity. Our confidence grew as did our curiosity. And our courage. Our worldview expanded together through the years. Yes, that safe place has been a haven where we could do life together. Where we could live and love and learn. A haven that we have taken with us.

How incredibly blessed we are and have been. Together.

You are an amazing man, an incredible husband, an awesome dad and a fantastic grandpa. You are a faithful friend and a fearless leader. You are a compassionate teacher who treats people with respect. You are a creative builder, a talented artist and a phenomenal musician. There is nothing I could have done to deserve you or the blessings of our life together. But I'm really glad I had the good sense to choose you and then to wait until you decided to choose me. What a ride it has been together.

Happy anniversary, sweet baby!