For My Husband

"Whatcha doing, honey?" I called to my husband from the bathroom where I was getting ready for work.  I could see him sitting on the edge of the bed, phone in hand.

"Reading your blog," he answered.

"Aww. Thanks!"

"It better be about me and it better be flattering," he added.

"Tomorrow," I responded, and we both laughed.

It's now tomorrow, and I have to say, if anyone deserves a flattering blog post, it's my husband. Now, don't get me wrong, he has his faults. We all do. But I honestly don't know how I would survive without him.

Dan has been my rock the last few. . . well, I was going to say weeks, but since we've been married for almost 21 years, it's really been much longer than that. We certainly have had our ups and downs along the way. Broken communication lines have at times threatened to pull us apart, but never went so far as to sever the ties that bind us. We have had our share of challenges, I suppose: years of struggling with infertility, job stresses, sick children needing to be rushed to emergency, and the loss of loved ones. Recently, though, I have realized that overall we have been pretty blessed. The challenges have been few and far between.

Over the last couple of months, though, it seems like the challenges just keep coming. And while one could argue that they're my challenges, he has accepted them as our challenges.  

Dan has taken time out his day to make phone calls to make sure my mom had transportation to and from the hospital. He has made trips to the pharmacy and then delivered the meds to my mother, all after spending over 10 hours at work. He has spent his days off taking her to the doctor, stopped by after work to check in on her, and convinced her to come over for dinner when she resisted. 

He's done countless little things for me as well. Just last Sunday morning, I had shut myself in our bedroom to grade my students' narratives. Suddenly, Dan appeared with a plate filled with toast and an omelet. (I didn't even know he could make omelets. After 23 years together, you'd think there'd be no more surprises.) He brings me coffee and cooks the occasional dinner or picks it up when we're both too tired to cook. He gives me space to write my blog and encourages me to keep going. He picks up the kids and takes them to appointments. He pours me a drink at the end of a long day and listens to my rambling tales and my angry rants. He sits with me on the couch and binge watches Netflix when we just need to escape reality for a while. He makes me laugh and plans our future with me. We get each other in a way no one else ever could.

So, Dan, this one's for you. During all the recent rainy days, you have been my rainbow, promising me that we will weather this and every storm. . . together. I know it may not always seem like it, but I do notice and appreciate everything you do for me and for our family. And even though, as we are quickly learning, growing old kind of sucks, I am so glad that I get to grow old with you.