Let Me Count The Ways

You're not supposed to be here. The doctors said you wouldn't make it. You were too early. Your body wasn't developed enough.
They said you would be blind and crippled, but you aren't. 

When you were 13, the carbon monoxide in that cave should have killed you.
But it didn't.

You should have froze to death on that mountaintop when the blizzard hit.
But you didn't.
Let's not forget the lightening strike that almost took you out or the numerous car accidents that have occurred over the years.
When I remember all these things, I count the ways.

I knew you were my future from the moment our eyes met. I had never seen eyes like that. Those talks under our tree will forever be my favorite place. I learned that you were not what you seemed and that I was determined to understand everything about you. Your faith, your motivations, your reasonings, your dreams, your disappointments, your failures, your hopes, your stories, your accomplishments, your ideas, your way with words, your favorite things...you became my most beloved subject.
 When I remember all these things, I count the ways.

Fast forward past the never ending courtship, the wedding day, the tiny apartment, the lazy days off, the unexpected joys and sorrows...and here we are.
 I know the next round of storm clouds are making their way to our horizon,
but before they get here, let me say I love you...and count the ways...

The way you laugh when we watch The Office.
The way you hurt when someone else is hurting.
The way you work like a mad man to provide for your family.
The way you get an idea and refuse to rest until you've put it on paper.
The way you can fix anything.
The way you encourage young people to do the right thing.
The way you forgive.
The way you look at your daughters.
The way you listen to me.
The way you don't back down.
The way you see everything in black and white.
The way you sleep.
The way you shoot a basketball.
The way you trust me.
The way you love shoes as much as I do.
The way you refuse to worry.
The way you accept me.
The way you never give up.
The way you always hope, always believe.
The way you pray.

All these things and more...


May your 31st year be your best ever. 
You are my hero and my best friend. 
~I love you more~