3T asked me to write a guest post and I agreed on one condition: That she would post what I wrote.

Agreeing was no easy thing for my humble wife, who doesn’t much care for the kind of public attention I am going to give to what I consider a blessed event--her birth. Yes, my wife will celebrate her birthday Tuesday, and though she needlessly frets about time’s relentless march - as most of us do anyway - I consider the day she was born as a way to celebrate all that she is.

And what, you might ask, may that be?

Let me tick off a few of her many attributes that give me reason to celebrate.

Her fortitude and courage. Familiar readers know 3T’s past and her struggle to get out of an abusive marriage. When she first told me her story five years ago, I was in disbelief that someone could treat her the way her first ex did.  It took great courage and fortitude to escape that nightmare, and equally great fortitude to rise above its scars. By “rising above its scars,” I mean she didn’t let the lifelong memories of that horrible period defeat her.  Indeed, she learned much from that experience that enables her to look at life and releationships realistically and wisely.  And that, of course leads to…

Her insight and wisdom. I consider myself the greatest beneficiary of 3T’s insight and wisdom, some of which you can see in many of the posts that she’s written over the past year and a half or so.  I’m thankful for what she saw in me and her enviable ability to articulate what she sees.  I also have seen her counsel others, and her ability to get to the core of a problem.  She literally saved me from a loveless, selfish life with that insight and her uncanny ability to articulate it.  Part of that insight is tempered by…

Her faith. As a long-fallen-away Catholic who more or less acknowledged God’s presence but pretty much divorced that acknowledgement from real life, I can credit 3T with restoring my faith in a loving God who accepts our imperfections but wants us to work on eradicating them.  Though we’re not much on church going, 3T nonetheless prays with me and on her own and has taught me that God treasures us and as a reminder of His love he gave us what she has in spades, namely…

Her sense of humor. 3T can be serious, but she shares with me a joy and a sense of humor that helps break the darkness that can inevitably follow when we look too closely at all the ills that surround us.  That’s one reason why I so love our roadtrips, because they make me forget the responsibilities and the headaches of the daily grind and take me instead to a place where I can develop a temporary amnesia and loose myself in the present.  Of course, a part of that is also related to…

Her beauty. There is one thing I never put an ounce of belief in what 3T says, and that is her laments about aging.  To me, she is always barely past drinking age, and always will be.  Now, I am not going to get into any other physical-related things, but suffice it to say she is the most exciting wife I could ever hope to find, which is one reason I will always be her husband.  Another reason is…

Her loyalty. 3T is supremely loyal, and a fighter to the end.  That sense of loyalty made her a pillar of strength for me during my prostate surgery and all the dreaded months leading up to it and the painful recovery afterward.  Had she not stuck by me, I doubt I would have cared that I had a deadly disease.  With her, conquering it was in some ways as easy as recovering from the flu.

Those are just a few reasons why I celebrate my wife’s birthday and why next week I will pamper her and make her remember that while it may be her birthday, it is I and those closest to her count it as OUR lucky day.

Happy Birthday, my bride.  May we celebrate many more together.
I love you

Had he not procurred my promise to post what he wrote, this one would have been relegated to the same file two other of his posts have been sent to. Please don’t feel compelled to particpate in my husband’s “3T lovefest.” (It is enough, that he feels this way about me.) And admittedly, it was well written. I love you too, my husband.