Dear John # 33.5

At the end of this month we'll be together for a good 3 years. At the end of next, we'll be married for 2 of those. I regularly think to myself "How did I manage to land this one?!" I've told you this before, but I'll tell you again. I thought you were pretty awesome when I got married to you-I had no idea that you'd turn out to be THIS awesome. Last night we were talking about how far we've come. Looking back on the things that used to cause conflict, at the words we'd say...and looking at how our relationship is now. I made a comment on how while I'm excited to see how far we've come, I'm curious whats next. I know we haven't arrived fully to the land of awesome marital bliss. That's when we started talking about this baby and how it'll affect our family and what you and I will need to be a blessing to each other. I think this is the part when I realized yet again truly how awesome you are.

There's something about hearing you talk about intentionality and making time for the things each other needs. It continually blows me away to see that God clearly made me for you. It amazes me just how much time you've taken to know me. It's conversations like that that prove it. I am so blessed that I get to be your 'helper.' Ben! You! Are! Incredible! 

At this point I typically get the urge to get silly and talk about your body. One because you roll your eyes and two because we both know its true. (well I do, and eventually you will too.) But rather than spending a paragraph on that today, I figure I'll hold that off for another day.

When we first were married I would wonder if this was really a good idea. My guess is you would too. We didn't go together as naturally as I had hoped. I figured It'd be bliss and giggles-and to be confronted with struggle was especially hard some days. Now, however I'm pretty thankful for that. I'm thankful because it let me see the leadership that you've exhibited. You're up for a challenge and you work not just to conquer the situation-but to really love and cherish this relationship, to really love and cherish your wife. You've always encouraged us to be teachable, so that we can be open to hear what others have to say that would benefit us. You want us to hear what each other has to say and to see you actually be teachable is a big blessing to me. To see you take suggestions and use them, to offer them back and to work together to make us better; it reminds me daily just how incredible of a creation you are. It gives me all sorts of reasons to praise your creator. 

My prayer is consistently that we'll be together till the day we die. Preferably that day is the same. Maybe God will humor me. I think the best marriages are the ones that make it through 50, 60 years of life and I'm excited and hopeful to get to potentially taste that. If the past 2 years are any indication of what it'll be like (which I think they are-because I can see your character) I'm pumped for the next decades. Thanks for being the man you are. It's easy to be proud. 

And thanks for gearing up for this new life stage and for keeping the perspective on Christ and our marriage. I know one thing, we may will do a whole lot of things wrong with raising this little girl (As you say-we'll be sure to let her know we're two imperfect people), but she will know that her mom and dad worship Christ and cherish each other and through that, really cherish her. "The best gift you can give to a child is a good marriage." Thanks for being willing to work with me to make it possible. I love you a million bucks.

A trillion bucks.