Saturday, August 4, 2007

Love and Birthdays

I have the most amazing husband.

Last year was a milestone birthday for me, and through a series of events no one could really control, it turned out to be a TOTAL disaster. I'll spare the details and my not-so-mature reaction to them, but it was just not a good birthday.

Now, as a rule, birthdays are no big deal to me. I like to be remembered, but a simple card or phone call is plenty. However, my expectations were high because earlier in the summer, when two of my friends realized it was a milestone birthday, they made a big deal out of all that we MUST do to celebrate. Step one for me was to get over the fact that they wanted to make a big deal out of it. As I mentioned, my birthday doesn't require great recognition, and that one in particular, I would just as soon have skipped. So I spent two months resigning myself to the idea that I had to celebrate and have a big deal made out of it, and I should appreciate what they were trying to do. I did such a good job that as the day approached, I actually began to embrace the reality of my age and to look forward to the plans they were making.

But when the day came, nothing. No phone calls, no cards, no nothing. I was shocked and hurt. I had worked so hard to get to that appreciative place, and all for naught!

Well, enter poor Drason. He has become accustomed to my laid back attitude about my birthday; of the four previous birthdays we had spent together, not one had required any special attention. Now, all of a sudden, I was devastated (translated angry) that I had been "forgotten" by everyone, including him. He tried so very hard to make it right, but nothing worked--primarily because he was not the one who had hurt my feelings in the first place.

There was really no salvaging the day, but eventually it became a joke between us.

Now this wonderful man did everything he could to make this year special-- and it has been wonderful! To say how we spent the day sounds like nothing all that extraordinary. We spent the morning cleaning up the yard and taking some things to the dump. He then delivered Smiley Boy to a dear friend who kept him for us the rest of the day, and then we went out to eat and to a movie. We came home, played with Smiley Boy for a while, put him to bed, and then played Mega-Monopoly. Sounds like a nice day, but nothing all that exciting.

You just had to be here. All day, I have felt so loved and supported and cared about. The work in the yard was really important to me. We've been in this house a little over a month, and I was really ready to get things tidied up out there. It was so very hot, but Drason worked without complaint until we had done all we could do for one day.

While Drason took Smiley Boy to the sitter and I was in the shower, he called and sang a silly version of Happy Birthday to me on the answering machine. Then we spent the rest of our day together with him just making me feel special and important as only he can. We ate at O'Charley's, went to see The Bourne Ultimatum, stopped at Books-a-Million, and then Krispy Kreme on the way home.

After the doughnuts, we had some serious discussion about our lives and our future, and the direction we believe God wants us to go with our family.

As I said, it doesn't sound all that extraordinary, but God has given me a husband who loves me and understand me, and keeps loving me even when he doesn't understand me--no easy task. It was a perfect day with the love of my life, and I am grateful, so very grateful.

And my birthday isn't even until tomorrow. :)

2 comments:

Benjamin Griffin said...

Ephesians 5:25

What can I say? She makes it easy.

Curly said...

Happy Birthday Crickey!