For Better or Worse...

I've been thinking about my husband a lot lately.  Maybe it's because our anniversary is just around the corner.  I wonder, sometimes, why he loves me so much.  I'm a mess half the time, tired ALL the time, busy with school and kids, the list really could go on and on.  But, for better or worse, he still loves me.  And I love him.

When we were engaged we met with a sponsor couple.  In the meetings with the sponsor couple, we talked about a lot of things very openly and candidly - it was part of the gig.  We learned so much about each other in those sessions, but the one thing that sticks out the most was a small conversation that started with the question, "Why do you love your fiance?"  Since we had "assignments" and I never liked to turn in my homework late, I was working several days before our meeting.  One would think this would be the easiest question to answer - that I should have been able to write so furiously that my pen couldn't keep up with my mind.  However, when it came time to write I had a blank brain.  Why, indeed, did I love him?  I ended up pondering this question for several days and ended up leaving that one blank as we headed to our sponsor's house.  When we got to the dreaded question, I openly admitted that I left it blank.  Again, in my mind, I tried to come up with a list, but the only thing that kept coming to me was the same answer that had been in my mind for the past several days.  The answer that I thought was too stupid to write down.  My answer was, "Because he loves me back."  My answer today is the same.

There is something to be said about the love a spouse gives to his wife.  Sure, there are 100 things that he does that make life easier both emotionally and physically.  But, I really couldn't ask for anything more than him loving me back.  And, embarrassingly so, he is so much better at it than me.  Not the loving back part, but loving me for me.  He still tells me I'm pretty and that I look nice all the time.  Almost every morning in fact, even when I feel like the bulldozer is still rolling over my face.  He does little things like wash the car and takes care of the laundry.  He's a wonderful dad to our two sons and I delight at watching him in the toy aisle with the boys.  He really is just a big kid at heart.  He's protective of me and will not stand for people disrespecting me.  He will give his seat up in the overcrowded church so an elderly person can sit while he stands at the back.  He teaches our boys about being a gentleman by holding doors for others, helping others in need, and not calling names.  He's a keeper for so many reasons, but the main reason is because he loves me back.

It's funny, when we were dating and became engaged, I think a lot of people thought my husband was the lucky one.  If they only knew who the lucky one really is...