Thankful on Paper, Week 2: My better half

*My grandfather sang this song at our wedding. As soon as I sat down to begin gushing about my one-and-only, I was reminded of this moment in our wedding. This song is so special. It says exactly how I felt then, how I feel now, how I'll feel always.


It's Week #2 of Thankful on Paper and it's a doozie for me. It's time to thank the most incredible man I've ever known and I'm overwhelmed with stress in thinking I cannot find enough words to do him the justice he truly deserves for the man he is. Along with his vast amount of admirable qualities, my hubby is humble, so I'll spare him a bit and just refer to him as "G." 


G and I met half of our lifetime ago, at the age of 17. We worked at an amusement park, where he was a sweeper and I was a balloon girl. He loves to tell people this story and then add the line "I swept her off her feet." Ba dum bum! ;) Did I mention he's a comedian?


To spare the long and winding details of our road to marriage, I'll keep it brief and say that we dated on and off for seven years before deciding we couldn't stop God and making it official in year eight. 


We've now been married nearly 10 years, and my heart can barely contain all the love I have for this man of mine. 


Enough exposition, let me tell you why he's a keeper!


G is my honest-to-God soulmate. He is it for me and I for him. We're like peas and carrots. Seriously. He's actually the only person I think who truly knows me in and out. When we're standing barefoot, I fit just perfectly underneath his arm. We fit. We work. We're a team.


Knowing me as G does is no easy feat, and he takes it in stride. He knows me angry. He knows me ugly. He knows me bratty. He knows ME. He's seen my kind of crazy and he accepts it. He not only accepts it, he bought a daily subscription to it when he signed the marriage license. It's legit. I'm pretty sure there are days where he thinks, "What the heck did I sign up for?" but he's never let me know it. Not once. 


He's my hero. He has rescued me from myself more times than I care to count. He's also other people's hero. I've never come across a better friend than him. He cares genuinely for people and their circumstances. He's found/gotten jobs for people, he's given money to people, he's given housing to people. There's not much he won't do if it can help someone else. I often wonder how he walks so swiftly carrying that huge heart around in his chest. 


He is ambitious and driven, but he doesn't let it consume him. He works SO very hard in a high-stress job, but his countenance is consistent every time he walks through our front door after work. He's smiling. It doesn't matter what happened that day. He's smiling. He's happy to see his family and get to spend some time with us. That's admirable. 


He's funny. Real funny. Not funny queer. Funny haha. He has a loud voice and an even more booming, boisterous laugh. I recall seeing Ace Ventura with him for the first time in high school and being riveted by his laugh. It's contagious. It brings joy. 


He's authentic. He's the real deal. What you see is what you get. I often compliment him because he can say anything to anyone and get away with it. Because they know it's from the heart. 


He takes care of us. GOOD care of us. We are blessed by a life that is beyond anything I could've imagined in my wildest dreams. He works hard so I can stay home, raising our boy (and hopefully more to come). 


He gave me my son. My pride and joy. My burst of energy topped with a mess of blonde curls and the kind of blue eyes that make girls melt. I pray he turns out more like his father than like me. 


G is a picture of Christ to me. He loves God with all his heart, soul, strength, and mind. And it shows. He's a wonderful example. He is a man of prayer and faith. I can't tell you how awesome that is. He's so encouraging. Just today, he told me, "Try to get in the word today, at least one chapter. God wants to speak to you." It's beautiful to have that kind of encouragement. 


I don't know if I'll ever figure out what I did to deserve such a prize. One thing's for sure though: I've got my prize, I'm greedy, and I'm not letting him go. Ever. 


I'll be loving him always. With a love that's true. Always. Not for just an hour. Not for just a day. Not for just a year. But always. 

Procrastinating putting pen to paper for purposeful prose

Thankful on Paper officially began yesterday. I was supposed to write a letter to one person I love in my life telling them how grateful I am for them and why. Let me be honest with you. I have not written my letter. Yet. However, I am going to (either tonight or tomorrow morning). 


When I decided at the eleventh hour to participate in Thankful on Paper, I immediately began obsessing over how I was going to whittle it down to only four people in my life. Who would I choose? Would anyone be offended if they weren't included? In true Miss K fashion, I have over-analyzed this task and picked it apart to a point where I've almost sucked the joy out of even doing it. I tell you, sometimes it's downright painful to be in my head. 


Alas, I've since worked myself back out of my overly analytical tizzy and settled on starting at the beginning, with those who created me: my parents. I'll call them "Ma" and "Pa" to protect the innocent. ;) Yes, I chose two people because I couldn't thank one without thanking the other. They both raised me to be the woman I am today. And I like to color outside the lines just a little bit, so two instead of one satisfies my rebellious streak. 


Here's what I will say to my dear Ma and Pa:


Thank you for, at the ripe young age of 18, deciding you loved me enough to keep me. You could've taken many other avenues, but you didn't. You chose me. You chose to start a family, to be responsible, and to settle down. Without that choice, I surely wouldn't be here. 


My gratitude for you grows as I get older. It's been heightened since I became a mother and can now see through your eyes a little more clearly. A short, and not nearly complete, list of my gratitude follows:


~ Working tirelessly through the years to give us a home and everything we wanted
~ Establishing and maintaining a close family connection that never wavered as we toured the States (and then some) as a military family
~ ALWAYS supporting me in my endeavors, no matter how outlandish or short-lived
~ Teaching me manners and the difference between right and wrong
~ Nurturing and developing our relationship with extended family, no matter the distance between us all
~ Passing on a love of literature and poetry (Ma) :)
~ Passing on a love of classic rock and cars (Pa) :)
~ Giving me my twin brothers, who I first thought wrecked my world, but now realize sweeten my world
~ Loving my husband like he's your own son
~ Loving and spoiling my son like only wonderful grandparents can 
~ Loving me unconditionally despite all my thorns, which are many and sharp at times


Lastly, and most importantly, thank you for giving me the genes of really, really ridiculously good-looking people. ;) In all seriousness, thank you for giving me a strong sense of humor, without which I would've surely shriveled up and died at least a few times in my life. 


I love you both to the ends of the Earth, and thank the Lord for you. 

Word of the Day Wednesday

It's that time again! Word of the Day Wednesday is here! 


Today's word is:

pug·na·cious

   

[puhg-ney-shuhs]

–adjective

inclined to quarrel or fight readily; quarrelsome; belligerent; combative.

Origin: 
1635–45; pugnaci ( ty ) (< L pugnācitās  combativeness, equiv. topugnāci-,  s. of pugnāx  combative (akin to pugil; see pugilism) +-tās -ty² ) + -ous

In light of the elections last night, I thought of this word and wanted to verify its meaning. Once I did that, I realized it is the perfect word for today, since elections tend to make many people pugnacious. 

*Speaking of words, Thankful on Paper starts today. Have you written your letter yet? Me either, but I will. I promise. 

Let's practice purposeful prose

It's November now, and Thanksgiving is upon us. I love Thanksgiving, but I often feel like it is just one day that fleets by before the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season begins. It breezes through our home in the aroma of stuffing and pumpkin pie and leaves only remnants of full tummies wishing they were housed in elastic-waist pants instead of jeans with buttons and zippers. It should mean more. It DOES mean more. 


What if we left Thanksgiving with more memories than grandma's mashed potatoes and grandpa's blessing before the meal? 


What if we were Thankful on Paper? This is a grand idea cooked up by my fellow blogger, Rachel, over at No. 17 Cherry Tree Lane. I think it's a splendid idea, and do wish you would join me in showing your gratitude to those you love this way for Thanksgiving 2010. Basically, every Wednesday in November, we're going to write a letter to one person we are grateful for telling them all the reasons why we are thankful for them. Then, every Thursday in November, we are going to blog about who we wrote to and why. We can use our discretion on the blog posting part if we choose to keep it private. :) 


Check out the link above for further details. Here's a button to get you excited.

I'm very excited to do this, as I am one who loves to write and loves to receive letters, even though I don't do it as often as I'd like. I know, we're talking real, handwritten letters here, folks. Who knew you could even do that anymore? You can, and you will touch the life of your loved one with your letter of gratitude. Won't you join us?


"Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart." ~ William Wordsworth