May. 18, 2008 - A Tribute to the Man of My Dreams
Tonight when I got home from the evening worship service at our church, my sweet husband (who had volunteered to stay home with some sick children) took me by the hand and led me into the kitchen where he was listening to a Michael Buble' cd. He gently wrapped his arms around me and we started dancing like it was our wedding day. I closed my eyes and snuggled as close as I could get, drinking in the moment. Our children wandered in and out of the room, barely saying anything, while Mommy and Daddy took a few minutes to be Husband and Wife. All too soon, the song ended. Then he looked me in the eyes and said softly, "I love you."
He loves me.
How many times does he show me that he loves me and I miss it? How often am I focused on the minor irritations that I forget the coutless ways he blesses me every day?
Recently, Julie from OldSchoolMarm wrote a beautiful tribute to her husband. (Her blog is a great read, by the way!) Anyway, it got me to thinking about blessing my husband at the gate. How wonderful to tell others about the man God has given me to share this journey. Our view of our husbands affects how the world sees them, and we have the opportunity to either harm or enhance their position by the way we talk about them to others.
Just this evening on the way to church, I stopped to get a cup of coffee, and I overheard the most heartbreaking conversation between two women. One comment in particular really tore at my heart when one of the women said, "I told my old man, 'You're a man, so you're a liar. That's just how it is!'" The male-bashing went downhill from there.
When I got in the van, I looked at my daughters and told them how much I love and respect their father. We talked about Proverbs 31, and the virtuous woman who does her husband good and not evil all the days of her life. We discussed briefly what I had heard, and one of my girls said, "If the wife talks like that, the children will pick up on it and start thinking that, too!"
This is not God's plan for us as wives! We are to respect and be a blessing to these men! We are to be a help to them in the work God has given them to do! We are not to be the kind of women that drive them to a corner of the rooftop, or make them crazy like a continual dripping!
So Julie, thank you for the reminder that I should praise my husband at the gate. I'm going to do that right now. And if anyone reads this, know it's from the heart, and I would encourage you to take the time and do a tribute to your own husband. If you post it, please let me know so I can read how your husband is a blessing to you.
For Tim: The Best Person I've Ever Known.
1. You are a godly husband and father.
2. You are kind and very friendly.
3. You put up with me even on days when I can't put up with me!
4. You have never complained about one thing I've cooked. (oh, except spinach)
5, You are a "hands on" dad--even with dirty diapers.
6. You clean the kitchen because you enjoy it.
7. You can rescue a dissolving day by volunteering to get pizza for dinner.
8. You do your job with integrity, even when those around you don't.
9. You treat everyone with respect.
10. You are generous with your time.
11. You are such a fun dad! C'mon--dodgeball in the house? How fun is that?!
12. You ruin my bad moods by making me laugh.
13. We are your priority and you live that every day.
14. You work hard and do your job well.
15. You are teaching your children to be the kind of person you are.
16. You love me. Simply and fully. I feel treasured by you.
I could continue, but I'll stop with one for every wonderful year of marriage we've gotten to enjoy so far. I pray the Lord will bless us with many more.
I love you, Tim, and I am so honored to be your wife. You have my heart forever.
Comments
May. 19, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by mamaof3
I'm having a contest on my blog and would love more people to join in on the fun - please feel free to check it out! - Blessings - Charity
What a BEAUTIFUL tribute!!
May. 21, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by OldSchoolMarm
Kari, you are so precious and what a precious family! I don't do the best job that I could in honoring my husband and I find that I have to keep remembering that we are commanded by God to respect them ( this can be difficult at times for me). Thanks so much for such a beautiful tribute to your hubby and reminding me that I must be ever mindful of what I'm saying in front of my children.
Your beach pictures are great! Next time we vacation I hope we can rent a little house on the beach. I love to hear the sound of the surf at night while lying in bed, so restful. Blessings, Julie
May. 22, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by courtneylane
What a neat tribute! Looks like a fun time at the beach. The NC coast is beautiful.
