First, he is a husband and a father. He has always said to me, “I didn’t get married to be single.” We do everything we can together. We don’t go off to ladies’ retreats or mens’ seminars. I don’t go on vacation without him and he doesn’t take a job that requires him to be away from home overnight. We love to be together. We love to work side by side. We are partners always.
He provides for us first and often puts his wants and sometimes his needs aside for us. One thing, that kinda drives me crazy even while it makes me admire him more, is that he waits until the kids and I have dished up our meals. Why? So that we get full first. He waits in case I didn’t make enough supper. He wants us full of supper, because if it comes down to it, he can make or find something else to eat.
He protects us. He insists on locked doors and an alarm system. He doesn’t want just anyone walking in on us when I’m busy with something and he’s not here to protect! And because of the way he sleeps (very very deeply and a slow wake-up time) the alarm system is an added protection. He wants the sick babies or children close to our room at night, so I can tend to them quickly and we can listen to their breathing.
He plays with us. Not in the typical way, but rather he makes work fun. Gardening is such a joy to him that the kids love to be with him and help him every step of the way. (Okay, weeding the garden is never fun, but everything else.) He encourages the children to explore their talents and adventures. He loves to hear their stories and to listen to what we do each day.
J is a fire fighter. For him, that his is ministry and service to his community. This is the job he loves the most. If it would pay enough to sustain us, he would do it full time. The fire pager is the only thing that gets him out of bed in record time. He can be in a deep sleep and be dressed and out the door in less than 2 minutes. The fire hall is not far away, either. He has one of the fastest response times, often being the first one to the hall.
He is a loyal and supportive; he likes to help the underdog. If you treat my man right, he will stick with you and serve you and help you through thick and thin. If you treat him poorly . . . he will fight for his rights and for the rights of others. This could be in a work situation or just a friend. He loves to learn the law and help those in authority measure up.
He loves to have fun and make life easy for those he loves. There was many a night when I was pregnant with our last baby when the air was so hot and he knew I didn’t want to cook and he didn’t want to cook. He would come home from work and say, “Get the kids dressed and lets go out for supper. I know you are too tired and don’t need to cook. Let’s bath the kids now so that when we get back, they can just go to bed.” WOW! What a blessing to me! There’s been talk of hired help (not in the near future, but one day). If a small appliance will make my job easier, and we can afford it, we purchase it. If something is working for me and yet I want to change it, he reminds me that it’s working, so why change it. Laughter is a big part of our life. He loves to poke and tease the kids and takes the poking and teasing back from them too.
Happy Birthday, My Love!
