Written by February 14th. Valentine’s Day. Whether or not you think the day is worth celebrating, it’s still Valentine’s Day. I want my wife to know she’s special, loved, and my valentine every single day. I get that. I hear a lot of people echo that same idea. It should be an everyday thing. Agreed.
Today I don’t feel differently about you Amaris than I did yesterday, or different from how I will feel tomorrow, I just want to let you know clearly today, this February 14th, that I think the world of you. I am not the most romantic, the most sentimental (probably close on this one), or the best communicator. I am not the most patient, observant, attentive listener, or a lot of things. I do know that life would be lacking, somehow empty, and a little less exciting without you.
You mean the world to me. You are a tremendous wife. You are an amazing talent in anything you try to do. You will try almost anything, and I love it. You think so far outside the box at times that I just stare in amazement when you come up with pertinent ideas when I thought all was lost. You amaze me almost daily. Your spirit is only less beautiful than the smile I get to see every single day. You are strong and so capable of being the ‘go to’ person in every aspect of your life. You pick me, us, up when we slip and fall or lose our way. You are forever a kid in some ways, and I hope you never change, and never lose sight of that precious kid in you. This I have told you a thousand times, and I pray to God I never deter you from being the you I met in Sturbridge, Massachusetts at a work event that summer day. You are warm. You give everyone a chance. You are a wonderful mother. You are a big sister anyone would want to have. You are a prize to have for a wife. I love you Amaris.
I know the days add up, the hours go by, sometimes in a blinding blur. With schedules that have us running constantly, I know we don’t always get those moments together, just us, that we once had, but I am certain that you are every bit my love as you ever have been. That is not measured in time, but in the effects your voice, your smile, your pure laughter, and your loving, gentle, touch have on my heart.
I remember how we came to meet. It wasn’t a road that either one of us would have ever planned for, dreamed of, or even remotely thought about. Heck, we were nowhere near a road, as it were, as we covered the distances in our lives that brought us together. As it turned out, we were both looking for each other, and happened to be in the same place at the same time when those wandering glances connected. I am so glad we met. I am so happy that I found you. I am so glad that you smiled and said “Hi” back to me. So glad.
It’s Valentine’s Day, and Amaris, I am glad you are my valentine. No matter what today brings, I wouldn’t want to start this, or any day, without you. And tonight, when all is said and done, I don’t want to end this day unless you’re at my side. Happy Valentine’s Day Amaris! I know I have let a lot of people know how I feel here. I am just hoping you feel this every moment of every day. Not just today. This could be written, spoken, or shared on any day. But, that’s not to take anything away from these words which are written here, for you, today. I am grateful for you. I thank God for you every day. And I am sure that when you have lived many years beyond my time, that your legacy will be greater than even I could imagine. You are a special person. I am so happy that I am the one you chose. I love you.
This passage is truly beautiful. This is love. Perfect love. This is the New International Version of 1st Corinthians 13:
1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
The quality of my writing may not reflect it, but these thoughts and feelings are near and dear to me. I hope and I pray that I love you in the ways defined by this passage of scripture I have shared. Love. Pure, love. I love God. I love my family. I love my country. I love wildlife, nature, weather, the spontaneous uniqueness of athletic greatness, and just about everything God created. And similar to the greatest thing you ever saw, the most awe-inspiring event your heart skipped a beat through, the thrill that left you wondering if anyone else was also grasping for their next breath, or even the most uplifting, life-changing words your ears were ever privileged to hear; I too struggle for words to capture the absolute Amaris, my love, my wife. Happy Valentine’s Day sweetheart.
Amaris with the twins this past November.