Yesterday, people in the U.S. celebrated Dads. I celebrated
the day I knew my blind date was going to be my husband. We’d had two dates and
were going to go on our third. I stopped at home to wish my dad a happy day,
and I remember telling him how special this guy was. Turns out I was right. He
is special.
On my friend Lucy
Kubash’s blog last Friday, she talked about how she and her husband have
stayed together for forty-four years. Almost as long as Hubs and I
have been married. She says “you can’t go through 44 years
without a lot of ups and downs…” Isn’t that the truth!
Living with the same person for that many
years takes work. We’ve had our share of health scares, financial worries, and
a myriad of nitpicky problems that at the time seemed enormous but in hindsight
were mere blips on the road to happiness. I can truthfully say, the good times
far outweighed the difficult ones.
They say opposites attract. And that’s true
with us. He’s the engineer, the science guy, Mr. Fix-It, a DIY expert. I’m more
into the arts. He’s patient and calm while I’m short-tempered and excitable.
While he is quiet in large groups, he learned more about my uncles in an
afternoon than I did my whole life. He’s an only child. I’m the oldest of
seven. You could count on one hand his relatives. I need a calculator to count
mine.
We grew up in a time when parents did
little for their kids at school or with sports. Our folks went to school if
there were problems. They didn’t go to our activities. We talk today about “helicopter
parents.” Imagine the opposite. That was our parents. So we didn’t have
anything to imitate. We became involved at school and outside activities
because it seemed like the right thing to do. Foreign territory for Hubs. Not
so much for me as a former teacher. But he did it in his quiet way.
One of the things that drove me crazy when
our kids were young was his not telling them they couldn’t do something.
Instead, he got them to lay out all the pros and cons and come to their own
conclusions. A far better and more lasting lesson than just saying “no.”
The best testament to Hubs came from his
daughters yesterday on Facebook. Our daughter wrote about her dad and her
husband: “I'm grateful for two amazing dads who are willing to share
their wisdom, their humor, their patience, and their geekiness with their kids!”
Our daughter-in-law wrote: “You raised a wonderful son and
taught him how to be an awesome father and husband! It's clear he had an
amazing role model!”
So here’s to my
husband, my best friend, and the best father. As I write in the acknowledgements in my books: How glad
I am that our friends fixed us up on that blind date!
What a wonderful tribute! May you have many more years together.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Lori.
DeleteSounds like a great soul mate. Here's hoping my hubby and I have that many years together. =)
ReplyDeleteHe is, Patricia. I hope you do too.
DeleteWhat a great story. Sounds like you made a great pick!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cara.
DeleteOh, I love this! Congrats on your many years together, and happy belated Father's Day to Mr. Burton!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Alyssa.
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