36 Reasons

Today is your birthday. A day to celebrate you. I love you for a million reasons times ten, but for today, here are 36 reasons why I love my 36-year old man. In no particular order - some are silly, some are serious, but all are true!

36. You are organized, even if it means little piles spattered around the home. I appreciate that you respect your things and our space and keep things tidy.
35. You are easygoing about meals. Simple casseroles or thrown-together pasta dishes or time-prepared meals or even fruit smoothies - you eat it all, appreciate it all, and never bat an eye about what the day has allowed me to prepare.
34. You dream. Big dreams. Far-fetched dreams. But dreams that have hope and excitement and opportunity attached to them.
33. You enjoy being active. You keep our family moving and give our boys an outlet for their (endless) energy.
32. You like sports. You care enough to be involved and caught up, but not so much that they dominate your conversations or your time.
31. You like ice cream. A lot. Just like me. See? We are a perfect match.
30. You enjoy reading. World events, sports, spiritual disciplines, self-development, biographies - anything. Some of my favorite times are sitting together reading!

29. You are intelligent. You are willing to read and discuss and experience and learn about all kinds of things.
28. You think before you speak. Slow to engage in in argumentative dialogue. Cautious when giving advice or opinions. Gentle when offering reproach.
27. You are tall. My 5'9" inch self is thankful for a man to look up to rather than eye-to-eye with.
26. You like to plan and administrate and attend to details. Because of this, I know your decisions are thought-out, our purchases are well-researched, and our money is well-managed.
25. You care about God's church. You care in ways that stir your heart and capture your thoughts to the point of being all-consuming at times.
24. You stand for Truth. You desire God's Truth to guide your decisions and lead our family.
23. You are discerning. A filter is always streaming in your mind as you engage with others: attitudes, words, actions, entertainment.
22. You can be silly. You're not afraid to be, for lack of another word, weird! in front of other people for the sake of joke.
21. You are confident. You know your identity is in Christ and that grounds you from questioning your value and ability to perform in various roles.
20. You are a leader. People follow you because they know they can trust you.

19. You like kids. Because really, who's idea is it to have a large family?
18. You work hard. You're willing to go the extra mile, put in the extra time, and carry the extra load.
17. You are pure. I don't have to question your decisions or behavior. I don't need to doubt you or worry when you're travelling.
16. You seek new experiences. From where we live, to things we eat, to places we travel, to theater we watch, to people we meet - you are interested in what's new and different from the routine of life.
15. You are patient. With our kids - four kids under 7 years old demands much patience. With me - emotions and fatigue are not easy to read.
14. You are generous. With your time, with our money, with our resources. Twenty-five people over for dinner and you don't think the house is too full. Receiving and responding to ministry opportunities excites you. Carefully scheduling your time so that you have one-on-one with your kids and opportunities to serve others.
13. You are handsome. Nope, it's not my opinion. It's a fact.
12. You are creative. Not just to buck the trend, but because you find satisfaction and freedom in doing things different from the majority.
11. You are respectful. Your words and actions are a reflection of your heart and you aim to ensure others know your heart is ruled by Someone other than self.
10. You like to travel. Our family has experienced a lot of things because you're willing to "endure the drive" and get to new places.

9. You like be frugal. Not in a miserly sort of way, but in a how-can-we-get-the-biggest-bang-for-our-buck sort of way.
8. You are an initiator. You begin; you suggest; you choose; you lead. Seldom are you a reactor.
7. You like to play games. Board games, card games, video games, group games. You make having groups in our home a lot of fun and you make Family Fun Nights interesting.
6. You are faithful. To me, your kids, your ministry, your job - to those things you commit to. You are very slow to commit to something unless you know you can provide honest follow-through.
5. You ask questions. To get to know others, to show interest, to listen. And, even better, you're pretty good at remembering details about the questions you ask.
4. You respect honest effort from others. You don't demand perfection but you appreciate when others give their best. You're flexible with mistakes when you know lessons are learned.
3. You share a lot of my interests in movies, entertainment, vacation destinations, and restaurant choices. Going out is fun because we agree easily.
2. You love God more than you love me. You choose his desires above mine. You choose obedience to him first.
1. You love me! You respect me, appreciate me, encourage me, serve me, help me, give to me, motivate me. You have promised to love me forever and ever and are intentional about reminding me of that promise time and time again.

Happy Birthday, Babe. I am yours and you are mine - forever.