I was thinking recently how I don't often write about Darrell. I wonder if it's that old thing about how we always take the most important things in life for granted.
In May we celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary, and it's been over 17 years since we met. Darrell likes to tell the story about how he used to tell friends that he had me in a 10 year training program. I always counter with how I asked him for annual reviews and was highly overqualified for the job.
He proposed in the 9th year and I planned the wedding for 1.5 months ahead of us being together for 10 years. Not completing his training program has not been a problem!
We had some challenges during those early years, including breaking up twice. I used to feel bad about those things - but looking back now I see how much we learned and how it has made marriage better for us. Now I can say I'm glad we waited as long as we did to get married. It took that long for Darrell, who had been through two bad divorces, to get to a point where he was ready to take that chance again. It took that long for me to trust him completely, and to trust myself.
I used to be pretty jealous - but it's because Darrell has a magnet and he often forgot to turn it off. He's a pretty great catch and while he was a good boyfriend, he's the best husband I could ever have imagined. He's very generous and thoughtful, not only to me, but to my children and my Mom. He helps keep things clean and neat in the house and takes care of the yard. He shops for the groceries and often prepares the meals. He tends to be a little Obsessive Compulsive, which is where Oh Cute Darrell (OCD) comes from. He cares about my happiness and is appreciative of everything that I do. We make a great team and work hard to preserve our home and our relationship. Nothing is taken for granted in our lives.
Recently I've had to curb a new jealousy, as our granddaughter almost always prefers him over me. The jealousy isn't real, as I get so much joy from the happiness these two bring to each other. It is so fun to see them being silly together and she loves how he laughs at her knock-knock jokes. She is a loving little girl and is sweet to everyone, but she makes Poppa Darrell feel like a million bucks when she asks for him every time we're on the phone. Children know when someone is special and can feel their love. Her love for him is a testament to his kind heart.
Darrell is a hard worker and never complains about how hard he works. He enjoys the work that he does and takes pride in doing a good job on anything that he takes on. Recently he went through something very difficult at work, but he kept his faith and pride in knowing he's done the best job he can do. It's hard to understand why others would want to mess with the livelihood of such a wonderful person. Darrell is the first to admit that he's not perfect, but he's extremely good at his job and a genuinely nice person who doesn't deserve what some people have tried to do.
Life can be challenging and stressful. My mom is recovering right now from a two surgeries, resulting from a badly broken leg and my Grandma just had a stroke and is still in the hospital. The season is changing, as is day-to-day life, but there is no one I would rather share these times with. I am so grateful and lucky to have this man in my life!
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