True Love

I just finished reading a great article by Ann Voskamp on her blog called, The Real Truth About 'Boring' Men - And the Women Who Live With Them: Redefining Boring.  Her words to her sons speak so eloquently of what real romance is, saying, "How a man proposes isn’t what makes him romantic. It’s how a man purposes to lay down his life that makes him romantic."  You should definitely read the blog post if you have a few minutes. 
Reading it, once again, made me so, so thankful for my wonderful husband.  Moments after finishing the post, Sadie woke up (already! She just went to bed about 45 minutes ago!), and as I sat in the dark nursing our sweet girl I was just overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude and thankfulness for Scott.  It's not his birthday, and it's not Father's Day...it's just another ordinary day in our crazy whirlwind life.  He's sitting on an uncomfortable couch in a dorm right now keeping an eye on 12 high school boys.  He helped us all get out the door this morning as we headed to drop Camden off at preschool and he went straight into a 3 hour meeting, followed by lunch, followed by the all- school assembly, followed by class, followed by a short break during which he came home to say hi to our family and wrestled with the boys for a few minutes, then he headed back into school to run basketball practice, met us in the dining hall for a quick 25 minute dinner, and then headed to dorm duty where he'll stay until about 11:00 tonight.  And the thing is, he ended up in Micah's twin bed with him last night around 4:00am and was up for good with the boys shortly after 5:00am and the same thing is going to happen again tomorrow morning.

Scott isn't flashy.  He didn't have an elaborate proposal that included a lip-synch with my fifty closest friends and relatives.  He just had a ring in his pocket (that he helped design using my grandmother's diamond) that was burning a hole there for a few days until he felt it was the perfect time.

I don't get dozens of roses throughout the year.  Or new jewelry.  Or chocolates (luckily he knows I hate chocolate).  He's a simple guy.  He doesn't try to one-up his friends.  He just lives his life in a way that speaks volumes of his love and commitment to me and our family.  And honestly, isn't that so much better than material things anyways?!?  "How a man proposes isn’t what makes him romantic. It’s how a man purposes to lay down his life that makes him romantic."

During most of his early mornings (while I'm still in bed with Sadie) he empties the dishwasher and folds loads of laundry.  He makes the boys breakfast and packs Camden's snack for preschool.

He walks into work through the rain and snow because we only share one car.  He gives me the bigger slice of pizza or cake or whatever it is that we both like without me even asking.  He works so, so hard so that I can stay home and care for our children.  He was by my side through 3 epic labors/deliveries.  He remained so calm and so strong, which in turn helped me to be calm(ish) and strong (enough).  He makes me laugh.  He lets me cry.  He changes boys' sheets in the middle of the night without complaint.  He rubs my feet even though he doesn't enjoy it - haha!  He makes up scavenger hunts for the kids and plays imaginary games with them.  He loads up the wood-holder with the wood I'll need for the day so I don't have to trudge outside and do it myself (too often at least).  He encourages us to go to church, even when we're tired and don't want to drive the 45 minutes each way.  He's involved in the decisions we make for our children and respects the way I mother them.  He makes me feel beautiful even though my body (for some reason?!?!) doesn't look or feel the same as it did when I was 20.

I could go on and on.  He's committed, he's loving, he's my partner and my best friend and I'm so incredibly thankful that God brought him into my life over a decade ago!

Ann Voskamp writes, "Let everyone do their talking about 50 shades of grey, but don’t let anyone talk you out of it: commitment is pretty much black and white. Because the truth is, real love will always make you suffer. Simply commit: Who am I willing to suffer for?"

I'm thankful that Scott is willing to love, and suffer for, me.