To My Men

They say that a girl learns what to look for in a man based on her father. If that is true, I had mixed signals in that area.

My mom, as you may know if you have been reading this blog for a while, is an AMAZING woman. She is strong and bright and beautiful. She is wise and carefully makes all choices to the best of her ability and for the good of those around her. However, she did make one BIG mistake at one time in her life. When she married my father. At the time - and this is very hard for me to fathom - she was insecure and thought she could do no better. MAN, was she wrong!!!!! Which can be wonderfully proven by the man who saved her, and became my Daddy.

Now, my father was an abuser. Verbally he was cruel, emotionally he hurt my mom in many ways and left my brother and I with a few scars as well. And he could be abusive in other forms too ... but this is not about him. I am just saying that, had that been my only example of a man, I would not be here today. Not HERE with the man of my dreams and the life I have always dreamed of. Of that I am sure.

But then my Daddy came along. And, by the grace of my HEAVENLY Father, I was given a second chance. And I was completely Blessed. He was the first man that God gifted my life with.

My Daddy is a wonderful man. He can get loud and can growl with the best of the grizzly bears, but really, he is just a big ol' teddy bear. And, for the majority of my life so far, he has been the truest example of Godly love that I know. He rescued my mom, and in turn, rescued Jim and I as well. I know that that could not have been easy. Our father had not been an example of a loyal dad in any way. He would make promises that were not kept, so my brother did not expect much of the promises Daddy made. That damaged their relationship for a long time - and can even still bring up old hurts at times. He was a GOOD dad and could be counted on and did all he could to show us his love. I knew, and KNOW, what a dad is because of him. And I knew that I wanted NOTHING LESS for my children.

I also saw what a husband should be through him. I watched him love my mom into self confidence and strength and pride. I watched him love all of the pain away. But, most importantly, I watched him respect her. I saw him let her go far enough to make a name for herself, trusting that she would always come back. And she always did.

Both as a father and a husband - as a MAN - he set the bar pretty high. I had seen the bad side of a man, and I knew what I didn't want. Fortunately though, I also saw the GOOD side of a man and I knew that I would settle for nothing less. There was one time in my life that I almost fell into the trap of believing I could do no better. But my daddy - and my mom and my brothers - were there to help me see the light. So I kept looking. And I am so glad I did!!!

My mom knew before I did. She told me he would be "the one". I told her she was crazy. Turns out she was right. And I am living out the Blessed proof of her wisdom. Lucky, lucky me!!

My hubby is the other best man I have ever known. I cannot even begin to put into words what that man does to my heart. I TRULY could not have even begun to ask for a better man. That God is GOOD!!!!!!!

He is a man after the heart of God. He is honest, faithful, true and kind. His heart is sooooo stinking good that it scares me at times. And I often - OK, everyday - wonder if I deserve his love. But because of my Heavenly Father's love, and the love of my daddy, I knew good when I found it. And I was not about to let him get away.

Now I live with the assurance that our boys will be good, quality husbands and fathers (if they so choose), because of the example they have been given. And our girls? Let's just say that someday, there will be a couple of men with a LOT to live up to!!!!

Father God, I am so Blessed by the men You have put in my life. I truly could not have asked for more. You have gifted me in ways beyond my imagining with the love of these two men. I thank You for the men that the boys are becoming and I pray for the men that will someday reach the hearts of these two little girls. May they be as Blessed as I have been.

Daddy, I love you and I will always be your little girl. You are the very best thing that ever happened to Mom and one of the best things that ever happened to me. Thank you for living out the love of God and pouring it into the heart of a little girl. And thank you for showing me what a TRUE man should be. Oh, and thank you for saying yes when he asked your permission to marry me!

Farmboy, what can I say? "I love you" does not seem to be even close to enough. But, gooly bob howdy, I surely do love you. And I will FOREVER. Of that I am sure. You are my heart's desire and more than I ever even thought to ask God for. I cannot wait to live out the rest of the adventure with you. At our wedding I chose a song for you and the words are still true:

"I was just thinking how nice it would be to have some to kiss me goodnight.
I was just thinking what I really need is someone to hold me real tight.
I was just thinking of finding somebody that I could mean everything to.
And it's funny you should happen to walk in the room ...
... 'cause I was just thinking of you"

I love you baby. To infinity and beyond. No tag backs!