Saturday, July 22, 2017

Party Month 2017 #4

Sarah turns 17 today! And I've been celebrating her life and its change upon me since 2000--and on my various digital platforms since 2005.

So I sit down and wonder what else there is to say? But she is always becoming something new and teaching me something else from her point of view. There is always that to look forward to.

Sarah is getting ready, in earnest, to leave her childhood and start making her way on her own. One more year of high school ahead and then big changes are coming for us all. We don't know the answers to all of those questions yet. But I grow more confident that she is equipping herself to handle that world.

And I hope she comes home occasionally.

Happy birthday to my favorite Sarah! I am proud of who you are.

Saturday, July 08, 2017

Party Month 2017 #3: XXII

Rye Beach, Huron, Ohio

Last night I posted this image on Facebook. And I meant it as a joke, playing off the idea of look how much Lynda has changed since we first got married 22 years ago! (Because, you know . . . she's Iron Man now . . . )

But I got paranoid and worried that people would take it the wrong way and interpret it to mean that boy, how has our relationship changed and I wasn't prepared for this when we got married 22 years ago!

That ISN'T what I meant. But, let's be honest. It is still a true statement.

My 24-year-old self couldn't (and definitely didn't) know what lay ahead for him more than two decades after July 8, 1995. At the time, he was more focused on walking down the aisle to what was in front of him without tripping or looking foolish. But even with the future an unknowable thing, he need not have worried. As long as he reached his destination at the end of that church aisle, beside that altar, the rest would work itself out.

And that HAS been true.

Come what may, having Lynda beside me has made it all better, has made the harder times bearable, has made the joyful times even more joyful. Our family is all that I ever imagined for myself and it has given me more than I knew I wanted. And it all comes from saying "I do" 22 years ago today.

I did.
I do.
I will.

I love you. I thank you.
Happy anniversary Lynda--my love, my friend.

Saturday, July 01, 2017

Party Month 2017 #2


Happy birthday to Lynda--our second installment in the month-long series of celebrations that I call Party Month.

I've been fortunate enough to know Lynda for almost thirty years now and I've written about how amazing she is in the past. So, I have to be honest and say that I am sitting here trying to come up with something new to praise her for and I've struggling to avoid repeating myself. But those qualities that I have celebrated in the past remain true now.

Lynda is a wonderful friend and a great wife; she's a fantastic mom and an excellent partner. She's a dedicated and hard-working colleague. She's so great, you run out of ways to explain it. If you know her, you already know what I mean.

I know I've said this before, but this definitely bears repeating at least once a year. Meeting and marrying Lynda was (hands down) the best decision I ever made.

I love her and am glad to enjoy a bit of her reflected glory.

Here is hoping you have a wonderful birthday and that you find a bit of time to relax and reflect on what makes you so special to me and to everyone else who knows and loves you.