Jeffrey

When we went on vacation for our anniversary, I spent a lot of time reflecting on our married life (thus far) and on what Jeff means to me.

For those of you that don't know, I spent most of time in and after high school paired up with somebody. To me, it was sort of more for my own self esteem. Not so much because I cared for the person deeply or wanted to marry them. In college, I was able to learn about life and about the big picture. I learned that dating isn't a game. It's a part of finding your life partner. Wow. That opened my eyes. Of the guys that I had dated, not many (any?) of them were suitable as "life partners."

As I pondered this (while on vacation), I was reminded of what attracted me to Jeffrey in the "life partner" kind of way.

First of all- he is everything I am not. He fills in the gaps where I am lacking, and he picks me up when I slip. He is completely the opposite of who I am (intriguing, yet beneficial).

He has never (ever!) tried to change me. Unfortunately, I cannot say that about any of the other guys I dated or pursued. None of them could accept me for my complete package. You take me for all I am, or you take nothing. That's what I learned was important. And I guess I didn't totally realize he was accepting me completely... I just knew I didn't feel uncomfortable. I could be as silly as I wanted to (it usually made him laugh); I could burst into tears (he'd usually reach out and hold me); I could talk about serious matters (he'd usually get serious himself and hear me out); I could tell him everything- my worries, my hopes, my dreams, my fears... and he never altered them! He respected me. Always.

Respect. I never had a boyfriend that respected my parents as much as he did. This is the man that wanted to marry me asap. But when we were advised (by my loving momma) to wait, he was the one that told me that we were going to obey her. Bless him. He has and still does look up to my dad, gaining wisdom from him.

His values are so similar to mine. We didn't live together (or sleep together... sorry if that's TMI, but there's something to be said for it!) until we got married. We make church and family a priority. And while we hardly have any similar hobbies, our motives for all we do are the same. We love to reach out to others. And God knew what He was doing (all the way!) because Jeffrey already had a heart for adoption when he had met me... come to find out, his future wife could not have children... and so adoption it will be!

(Oh man, and to see him with our nieces- it would make anybody melt as much as it did me.)

And hello!?! What guy loves cats as much as I do?

He's devoted, to say the least. With all the health problems that I have going on, he is ever so patient with me. Many nights I fall asleep early. On weekends, he helps me work my nap into our day. He gets me my medicine (he's even getting really good at knowing which is which!) when I need it. He allows and leaves room for my "bad days" when I just need to sleep or slack off. Let me tell you- I'm not the picture perfect wife. I don't look like a Barbie. I don't cook like Rachael Ray. I don't always keep up with the housework. I am not the Energizer Bunny. Yet he's so patient with me! I don't deserve it. And almost every day I am hard on myself for failing him. But he never makes me feel bad about it.

He always does little things to show me just how much he loves me. Sometimes he'll bring home a little treat for me. Sometimes he'll leave time open just to spend with me. He never fails.

So... do you see why I married him? He was just too good to pass up.