Thank you all so much for the birthday love and wishes yesterday, it was truly fabulous to read all of your comments! Dale is all puffed up with pride at your kind words about his post, too.
I have to admit that the things he wrote took me a little by surprise. Not the stuff about what we did over the weekend, that was a mere recap. But that stuff at the end . . . about how he appreciates me and recognizes how hard I worked . . . that got me pretty verklempt. And it’s true that I worked pretty hard after his accident. He was fairly helpless for a while and he was in pretty rough shape when he came home from the hospital. Frankly, it was exhausting to be his only caregiver during that time. I also know it was a privilege and I’m so glad to have done it and been able to show up for him in that way. I think we learned a lot about each other and, while it sure wasn’t always pretty, it deepened the level of respect we have for one another in a very meaningful way.
I do take exception to something he wrote though. It was that part about me being the one who holds our family together. He’s got that all wrong because he, my beloved husband, is our glue. He is the center of everything we do together. He’s the one who makes us all laugh, he’s the one who works to hard to take care of us, he’s the one to run an errand or pick up a kid or a loaf of bread. He never says no, he rarely complains, and he (unlike me) does it all with a cheerful heart and a smile on his face.
I suppose the bottom line is that we are well matched and we know it. Maybe it’s because we’d both been hurt before. Maybe it’s because we came to this relationship with open hearts and clear expectations. Or maybe it’s simply the hand of fate.
I’m not even sure it matters.
I’m just grateful for all of it.
Ditto.
You two are indeedvery well-matched! (Enjoy the rest of your birthday week, or birthday month if you are continuing to celebrate!)
They say the best matches are where each partner believes they’re the lucky one. Not in an out of balance it can all collapse in a puddle of worry it won’t last way, but that little bit that convinces you you’ve probably gotten the big end of the stick when it’s really pretty equal.
Well-matched indeed! Perfectly!! 🙂
(and why doesn’t Dale have a blog? Inquiring minds want to know!)
Soulmates!
In successful relationships, I think each person does what they do best to serve the relationship. Most importantly, you are both “present” in your marriage, and there is nothing better than that to sustain it. You and Dale are perfect examples of this!
“Wind Beneath My Wings”… the Bette Midler song? I remember my best & longtime friend telling me that it was “our song” because I was the wind beneath her wings… and I was utterly SHOCKED because, good grief, she was definitely the wind beneath mine!!
I think that’s ying & yang, give & take, love & respect… and a really good match.
xoxo
oh my … LOVE this. y’all are a match made in heaven, and I am grateful to both of you for giving us a little peek. xxoo.
Carole, I think I agree with you….however, you are that very special person who keeps Dale happy, you and he are each other’s true companion and that is what allows him to be the glue that holds you all together in the way that only he can. (“I’ll tell you the story”…) Much love to you both.??
Oh dear, you’ve made me get all weepy first thing this morning. I think it’s clear that you two are a perfect match!
What beautiful stamps from both of your hearts. Well-matched, indeed. To be cognizant of it–to be so mindfully grateful for one another in this lifetime–that makes the difference, I’ll bet.