marriage letters

I'm participating in a link-up this week, hosted by Amber @ The Run a Muck. Here's what she has to say about it:

Join me and Seth (and also Joy and Scott) as we work hard to preserve marriage by writing marriage letters. There may be only a handful of us doing it, but if you’ve written a letter or a post for your spouse, please do add your link and be sure to link back to us so others can be encouraged. Especially in this stage of small children, it’s been good for me to see that we aren’t alone, and if you’re past this stage, it’s good to know that you’ve made it.

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Dear J,

I am snuggled into my parents' guest bed, listening to the howling wind and spattering rain, waiting for you.

The boys were wild tonight, or so I'm told. The sweet babysitter earned every penny... They missed us. (Or maybe they're just wild.) It's a hard habit to break: telling you about the kids first. They're the loudest news, but not all there is to say.

I'm proud of you. Scrubbing floors and washing windows in our empty home, working while your family rests. I don't think there is any task you wouldn't do for us. Tomorrow a stranger will come with his camera, capturing the rooms where we laugh and bathe and scold and hold each other. On the flier they'll be bright and generic, as if anyone could do this, live here. We'll sell the walls and floors, but keep the sound of Matchbox car races on hardwood floors, the smell of sleepy boys between us on a Saturday morning, the window reflection of our long hugs in the kitchen when all the dishes are done.

Do I tell you that I need you? I do. Our house is just a house; God made you to be my home.

Love,
H

he rocks

So, I may have promised my husband that I wouldn't do this... but I just can't help myself! The world needs to know (and by world, I mean the millions dozens of you kind readers out there).

This blog is supposed to be about our family's journey through adoption from Ethiopia, but since I tend to be a bit narcissistic self-absorbed focused on my own perspective, I'm afraid it might not always tell the full story. And the full story? Is that my husband flat-out rocks.

If I am writing on here about some revelation I've had, chances are that J helped me to see it. If I share about a struggle I'm having, you can bet he is down in the trenches with me. If I gush about a recent successful parenting strategy, it was probably his idea. And for goodness sakes, if I even have the time to be writing on here it is most likely because he is upstairs giving 3 kids a bath or washing a sink-full of dishes!

I could go on and on, but instead I'll let his words speak for themselves. These are just a few of the things he's been known to say regularly:

What can I do to help?

Wow, honey the house looks great!

Looks like he needs a diaper change -- I got it.

Why don't I take the kids outside for awhile so you can rest?

You're pretty.

Let's go on a date.

How can I help you take a break?

Let me get you a Kleenex... It's OK, hon... That's not a dumb reason to cry... It's OK to feel that way.

You're a great mom.

I would not be who I am without him, and he is the best husband and dad the boys and I could ever ask for!