The Perfect Day

My Perfect Flower Bed

A girl needs a perfect day now and then, don’t you think?

I woke up this morning about 7:30. Perfect. Not too late, not too early. I got up, enjoyed some waffles and coffee with my dear husband and got my laundry started.

After tidying up the house, I drove over to Kohl’s to spend some birthday money, a gift from my parents. Kohl’s has quite an extensive short ladies’ department (petites), and I leisurely searched through racks of clearance items and took advantage of several sales. I purchased a pair of jeans, a really cute top, a new purse, three pairs of earrings (3 for $2.40 !!!), a long sweater (marked down from $58.00 to just $11.00), and I even bought a purse on sale for my daughter.

Upon returning home, I found that my amazing husband had completely cleared our front planter of weeds. Nice. He invited me to accompany him to our local DIY store to purchase some plants and flowers. We chose a nice mix of perennials and annuals to bring home. Lilies of the Nile, purple heather, marigolds, petunias, violas and Icelandic poppies. Perfect. We worked side by side and now our flower bed looks beautiful.

I took a short nap before preparing dinner. Teriyaki chicken, sauteed fresh asparagus, and cheese bread. My husband did the dishes.

We played cards. Talked some.  Now, we’ve settled in and are watching/listening to Sting and The Police, a concert on PBS.

I suppose you could say that it does not take much to make my perfect day. Perhaps that is true. But, I find myself profoundly grateful for simple joys. Flowers. A day with my husband. Everything I need and more. I am blessed.

Twenty-Four Years

Today, I am married for twenty-four years.

I am married to a man who loves me, a man I both love and respect. There is no one else with whom I would rather spend time. My husband is my closest friend and confidant. I also happen to think that he is pretty darn handsome, too. After all these years, I am still very attracted to him.

In many ways we are much different. My husband is steady. I tend to over-react, fly off the handle or panic. He is strong and thoughtful. He does not act rashly. My husband has a dry, understated, smart sense of humor. Mine is is of the slapstick, silly, laugh at your own jokes variety. He is incredibly intelligent, in a science-y, math-y sort of way. He is logical. I am not so smart, at least not in the same way he is. Math is my nemesis. Words are my friends. My husband is a man of few words. He makes his words count. I like to talk, and talk, and talk. I am amazed at his willingness to listen patiently to what I have to say. My husband is kind. In twenty-four years, he has never raised his voice at me. I tend to be a little more, shall we say, passionate. I admit that sometimes I allow my emotions to get the best of me. While it is also true that I’ve never yelled at my husband either; I attribute that to his patience and thoughtful nature. Things just don’t escalate when we disagree. 

In many ways, we are the same. We both love music. All kinds of music. We both like to read. Our home is full of books. Wandering the aisles of a book store together is one of our favorite things to do. We take walks together. We play cards. (Ninety-nine percent of the time, he wins.) Family is important to us. We both love to travel. We both are nature lovers. My husband and I appreciate simple pleasures, sharing a cup of coffee, sitting in the back yard, or taking a late night swim. We both love God. We pray together, hope together, and learn together. We are grateful for God’s Grace in our lives.

My husband is a good father. As our kids grew up, he took them camping, swimming, and fishing. (He hates to fish, but he took them anyway!) My husband read to them and played games with them. He spent hours on the floor building amazing lego edifices. He taught our kids about God. He prayed with them and for them. He was patient with them in their immaturity. He helped our children to grow up and pointed them in the right direction. He was there when they needed help with their homework. Especially algebra. He attended their school functions, coached their soccer teams, and cheered from the sidelines. He protected them. He provided for them. Our now young adult children can say they have a wonderful example of what a father should be.

My husband is generous, creative, wise and strong. He is honest and a man of integrity. He works hard. He is handy. He is easy-going, witty, and fun to be around. He makes me think. He is always there for me. My husband loves me.

Today, I am married for twenty-four years. Today, I am blessed.