Happy Birthday to Jessica.
Six years ago on her birthday I mounted an all-out celebration. She was turning 20, we had just started dating, and all I knew at the time was how excited I was about her. She was smart, funny, and downright lovely. Her birthdays always remind me of the beginning of our relationship, and I’m more and more grateful every year that I still have her.
Now of course I know more about her, and I’m amazed I ended up with her. It’s hard to imagine all the qualities you’ll need from your wife when you’re young—when your wife is young :). You’re looking for maturity sure. And a spiritual foundation. And someone fun and adventurous. Someone you can talk to for hours on end and love that they’re still talking to you.
But it’s hard to imagine everything you’ll be going through togther. In the first four and a half years of marriage we’ve bought two homes, served in several church responsibilities, given birth to a darling son and raised him for two years, dealt with an enormous health issue, seen specialists and prayed and fasted, toured a country abroad for the more part of a month, watched two complete television movie series, traveled by car and plane here and there, talked and talked and talked, been sick, gone out to eat, counseled family, counseled each other, worried, wondered, worked through various decisions that only we could sort out, survived crazy work schedules, and slowly acted more and more like adults (we’re not completely adults yet).
I know now that the only way life works is if you have a woman wiser than you, more disciplined than you, more resilient than you, stronger than you, more unconditionally loving than you, more emotionally mature than you, funnier than you, more patient than you, more devoted than you, and far more perfect than you. I am amazed—and we’re just getting started—how little I knew about what capacity my companion would need to have in life. I am in awe of Jessica who has all that capacity and plenty to spare. I cherish her and am humbled she’s mine. I am so so fond of her.
Jessica, for the sixth time in our life together, I love love love you on your birthday.
