Love Letter Series… to my husband
Dearest Josh,
Seventeen years. We’ve been together on this earth almost as long as we were apart. We’ve built a life together - a beautiful life that I love so much. When I think about us, it makes me smile. We’re only part way through our journey, and I’m not naive. Just as we’ve had our ups and downs in the past, they will surely come again in the future, but out commitment to each other is fierce and is the glue that steers us, together, as we march forward in this life we’ve created.
So many things I love about you. Some I didn’t know when our relationship began, but others were really clear. You have a BIG personality. It’s magnetic. It pulls people into your world, and in ways that I keep myself guarded, you’re willing to open yourself up, sprinkling a little bit of magic into other people’s lives along the way. It’s sometimes over the top, verging on excessive, but I’m thankful I get to witness it, and even more thankful I get to live within your orbit and be a part of it.
Which leads me to the next thing I love, and sometimes hate, depending on the day. :) Your desire to live life to the fullest. I live for moments of down time. Just me. A book. A show. A glass of wine. Not you! You’re happiest when you’re busy. I didn’t know it at the time but 17 years later, I’m certain it’s why I chose you to do life with. You’re natural inclination is to go…as much as humanly possible. You go until your body literally tells you that you can’t go anymore. You are a counter-balance to my own inclinations and together, we create this rhythm for a life that is perfect for us.
Josh, you wear your emotions on your sleeve and I always know where you stand. When my M.O. is usually to shut down and hide, yours is to open up and create a dialogue. When I’m in it with you, I hate it. I want time to work through issues in my own head before investing in discussions to fix them. I need that time to analyze all the reasons why I’m mad - but you don’t give me the luxury of time. You engage. And you’re quick to apologize (not something I’m great at) and you’re very persuasive. It pisses me off. But then we move forward. We spend a lot less time fighting than most and I’m confident you are the reason.
Your attention to detail is impeccable. It’s what makes you a good business owner, a great chef and a phenomenal planner. You’ve asked me on more than one occasion what my 5, 10, 20-year plan is? I don’t have a good answer. I tend to gloss through life focused on big picture rather than details - feelings rather than plans. I know that I want to raise good kids, with kind hearts, who are smart and independent. I want them to know what confidence feels like, and how to cut through the bullshit that life will throw their direction, but my framework of how to get there is loose and guided mostly by intuition. Your framework is concrete. You are the reason we get to live the life we have. Our future was always your problem to solve and your meticulous planning has made it possible. I’m so grateful to you for being our rock.
You’ve been dealt a hand in life that hasn’t been the easiest, and at times it can take a toll on you both mentally and physically. I live with your struggles and feel your frustration. Most days, you put on a brave face, head out into the world and choose your next adventure, bringing me along for the ride, but life with you is it’s own adventure, no matter where we go or what we do.
Here’s to our next adventure…whatever it may be.
I love you!
- xoxo