I will never forget those early days of dating when my wife and I first met. It seems like yesterday and now more than a decade has passed and it’s hard to believe where God has brought us. Don’t let the title of this article fool you. True Love never gets old, but it does get older.
Today is my wife’s birthday and I thought I would take a moment and share some things I have shared with others on relationships over the past few years. I can honestly say that Robyn is my best friend in the earth. She and I have always had fun no matter what ‘venture’ we were entering. It’s a great place in life to have your best friend as your bride. It makes life so worthwhile knowing that the person you will be with your whole life, is someone you love deeply beyond explanation.
So when I say, Love Gets Old… Dear – You are getting old and you are my love! So the statement is true. The great thing about being married is that you don’t have to worry about someone loving you. You can SEE love all around you. Last week I kept our four children for four days during the week while Robyn traveled to California. Now I am a very active and involved father and husband and I don’t allow Robyn to take all the responsibilities of home nor do I expect her to manage everything. But, when it comes to the children, she is the primary care giver as I am the primary go-ask-your-motherer… 😉
I have kept and tended to my children for years, but never all of them for that long during the school year. Let me share with you a brief schedule that SHOWS me my wife loves me and now that I have experienced it, I love her even more for who she is!
To wake up at 4:30 AM to prepare lunches, breakfast and get clothes together is a chore in itself. Now I often wake up early and sit down to read or write, but there’s something extremely physical about preparing children for school.
At 5:30 I woke the children, helped them get dressed, fed, teeth brushed, hair done and go over any homework or test work that may be necessary.
Then by 7:00 I would have their backpacks loaded, lunches done and paperwork ready to roll. We load up (would actually have to wake, feed and dress the younger two, but I had help) drive to school and return home around 8:15.
Arriving home I began to feed, change, dress, clean, brush, detail etc the other two children. Then when all that is said and done I would begin some laundry from the night before. By 10:30 both kids are in need of something else to drink, or need mediation from a fight or skirmish.
Every 20 minutes it seemed that there was something to do, then by 11:00 I had to begin the process of preparing lunch. After lunch, we cleaned up, brushed up and then loaded up in the van at 2:00 to pick up the girls. This seems simple except that most days we can’t find the shoes or socks we were wearing just a few minutes before leaving. Couple that with a timely poured cup of kool-aid in the carpet and you have yourself and adventure.
Back home it’s homework, snack, cleaning, laundry then preparing supper, baths, pj’s, laundry and then bed. Once it is all still and quiet I sat down to study. Exhausted from the day, I just went to sleep. Most nights went well except for two where we had one wet bed and a 2AM rise from the baby of a fever and a runny nose. How to get anything else done?
Why tell you all this? Because THIS IS LOVE. My wife for 9 years has tended to all of this on top of tending to me (for over a decade) and volunteering in the church, a political organization and holding together many successful consulting relationships. THIS IS LOVE.
I guess the only way I can show my love is the simple things like taking out the trash when I had rather read. Or listening when I had rather speak. All-in-all I know this: My love for my wife along with much more respect and appreciation grows daily.
To see the woman that God has molded her to be and even though she’s older, she has many more years to go. There is no real way I can show her how much I appreciate her and all she does every day, but I can say this – there is no one else in the world that I would rather spend my time with except my Savior – so a close second is pretty good.
I am not the best of husbands but I can say that I have the best as a bride! Happy birthday girl, you are an incredible, brilliant, engaging, witty (not funnier than me), awesome wife, mother and most of all; a Godly friend that I am looking forward to growing old with! It will be zune enough!
I love you… (All you guys out there… I am from the deep south, so watch it!)
Wow I’m going to print out that article and read it every time I think about having kids! Mom’s amaze me. You’re lucky to have Robyn – I’m glad you tell the world about how lucky you are.
Sorry to scare you on the kidz… It’s really the most rewarding aspect of my life, even when it’s tough and tiring.
As for my wife – She is God’s grace to me! There is no other woman in the world that could top her… she is amazing and I love her more than she will ever know.
James
That is very sweet. You’ve been a blessing to me as well. I love you.
And Sarah, I get up at 6:30 and grouch through most of the morning. He makes me sound better than I am. Take from this that I can sleep 2 hours longer because I prep at night and he preps in the am. I say that’s just crazy. 😉
Don’t cut yourself short Robyn – you are da wo man!