I don't think I've ever written a "tribute" to my husband on my blog. I think all the time about things I would like to say, but then I just tell him those things directly and don't bother to post it for the rest of the world to see. (Well, "the rest of the world" meaning the three or so family members who have an interest in following our blog). But, today I think I will attempt to document my appreciation for this amazing man.
It's hard to know what to write. I know I won't begin to cover everything, and I'll probably ramble. Dan is amazing in so many ways. I hit the jackpot when I married him. Here are just a few things I love and appreciate:
- Dan was raised to be a kind, thoughtful, and generous man and he has embraced this way of being. He puts the needs of our family before his own - always.
- Dan has a strong testimony of the Savior and the restored gospel and will serve in any capacity at any time. He is one of the Primary organization's favorite sub teachers because he is always willing and is a great teacher of any age group. Right now he teaches high school seniors in early morning Seminary and willingly gives essentially all his spare time to lesson preparation. It's hard, but he feels like it's been a blessing.
- He would do anything for me, support me in anything. I have always known this to be true, and it gives me a great deal of comfort and security. I am able to focus on the things that I decide are the most important and I know that he always has my back.
- Along the same thought, he has always made it clear that the work I do mothering the kids and running the home is far more important than anything he does at work. One recent evening we were comparing notes about our days. He had spent the day dealing with huge sums of money and had been in important meetings where critical decisions were made about business acquisitions. I joked something like "all I did today is clean things that are already messed up again and deal with tantrums and homework and driving kids to 20 different places. Nothing all that exciting." He stopped and got serious and said, "Tiff, what I do at work is just a game. It doesn't really mean anything. What happens at home and the work you are doing with the kids will have infinitely more impact than any corporate meeting." And he means that to the core of his being. We share this perspective about the importance of parenting, and it helps us guide our decisions.
- Dan is crazy smart, especially in regards to math. This is a good thing because my kids have inherited his math brain rather than my non-math brain. He does "black-belt level" Sudoku and Kakuro puzzles for fun. My non-math brain has a hard time understanding why that is fun, but whatever.
- Dan is the best Dad ever. He values each of our kids for their individual strengths and helps them see that they can work through their challenges.
- Of course, everyone who knows Dan is aware that he has a great sense of humor. He gets that from his Dad and has passed it along to our kids. He is also one of the coolest Dads around because he is very aware of the latest popular music. He effectively sifts through the current music and finds gems. This has been especially useful in his calling as deejay for the stake dances. And yes, there really is such a calling in the church.
- Dan doesn't love traveling as much as I do, but he happily goes with me because he knows it is important to me. And we have so much fun when we have a chance to get away somewhere together.
Is Dan perfect? No, but I'm not either. He is an amazing man and I feel lucky to have been his partner for 24 years and counting. Happy birthday, Dan!
No comments:
Post a Comment