5 Reasons Why I Love My Amanda

It’s Valentine’s Day and a card simply won’t do.  A card can only tell Amanda that I love her.  And today I feel like letting the world know.  So in no particular order, here are a couple reasons why I love my wife so much.

1. She’s Caring.  She not like the average person who cares.  She cries at a sad commercial because she feels it deep inside.  She spends most of her days doing things not for herself, but others.  When the Bible says, “Love One Another,” I don’t have to look far for an example.  I appreciate this so much, because there’s something slightly broken in me.  The caring button is not always turned on.  And when I’m indifferent, she is there still caring, for me and for others.  I love her for that.
2. She is a Perfect Compliment to Me.  Left to me own, I might be a hermit.  Of course left to her own, Amanda might be at a party 24/7.  God knew I needed this.  Someone who loves people and loves to be around them. Someone to stretch me out of my comfort zone.  Amanda is a people magnet.  Without her, life’s best friends I probably would never have met.  But it’s more than this.  They say behind every great man is a greater woman.  That is so true for me.  She faithfully supports me.  She’s always there like a firm foundation.  She prays for me and I can tangibly feel the strength it gives.  When I begin to doubt and fear, she encourages me.  Not always with words, but sometimes with just her presence.  Sometimes its just having her to hold at the end of the day, seeing her smile, sharing a moment with her that brings a smile to my face and helps me go on.
3. She Makes Me a Better Person.  I proposed marriage with a budget.  So if you think a blog post isn’t romantic, consider how far I’ve come.  In the budget I didn’t include tithing.  I remember Amanda, sliding the paper across the table at the Chinese restaurant and saying, I can’t marry someone who doesn’t put God first.  She looked me straight in the eye.  I knew she was serious.  So I redid the budget.  Amanda has developed a keen sense of who I am and how to handle me.  I’m good at arguing.  Maybe I should have been a lawyer, but Amanda has a way to get me to see the truth even when I’m twisting it.  I don’t always tell her this though because I’m good at arguing.  Just a few weeks ago, she reminded me that Kindergarten was slipping by and I hadn’t had lunch at school with Will.  There she was helping me be a better dad.  She would never admit it, but she makes me a better person.  Helps me be more like Christ.  She helps me be a better husband, father, son, employee, boss.  She jokes that all her money is in my head.  She worked hard to put me through school.  But more important, all her love is in my heart.  Without that love, my ability to love would be limited.  She has taught me that its ok to trust, ok to love.  She has taught me that when we love we are as closer to living, closer to the design God has for each of us.  And I love her for that.  I know I’m better for that.
4. It’s All the Little Things.  It took her 15 years, but she doesn’t bite her nails because she knows it annoys me.  It took her about 5 years but she doesn’t squeeze the toothpaste from the middle anymore.  She knows that when I’m stressed a tidy house and the smell of bleach brings relief.  She knows that I can’t find anything and finds stuff for me.  She cooks and cleans and cares for the kids and gives up the pursuit of her career, so I can pursue mine.  She knows the spots to touch, how to cuddle close.  And her eyes.  I have to pause because I don’t know how quiet to describe their depths and the joy they bring.  I just know there’s no other eyes I long to exchange a glance with.  At when I look at them, there’s no other place that feels more like home.  These aren’t little things.  They are big things.  Things that life would be less complete without.  Things that I would mourn for eternity if they were gone.  Things that make my love for her so deep.
5. She’s Adventurous.  She has moved with me so many times I’ve lost count.  I came home this weekend and said what do you think of moving for a couple of months and she said that sounds fun.  She loves to travel with me and see new places, tastes new foods.  She joined a roller derby team.  Many friends who don’t know her as well as I, thought that was a strange fit.  But I know it fits her perfect.  It’s still crazy, but its an adventure and she loves it.  I love adventure too.  But I don’t pull the trigger like she does.  I’m a thinker and planner and like to minimize risk.  But she’s willing to blindly experience life, to take a step and trust her foot will find solid ground.  And it is crazy and sometimes, when I step with her we fall.  But when I step with her I feel alive.  And if I’m going to fall, she’s the one I want to fall with.