Dr. Laura,

It is my 29th wedding anniversary and I wanted to share what an amazing man I married. I want this email to give other girls the incentive to choose right! Doing so blesses your own life immensely, but also has the potential to bless others. I use social media to post light-hearted things and browse pictures of long lost friends. But this anniversary I wanted people to know how amazing my husband is. He is a humble guy who is very successful in his work but more importantly in his family life. So I posted the following on my Facebook page as a tribute to my husband. To understand it, you should know that we are a foster family. Here goes the post:

Twenty-nine years ago today, I married a 145 lb. college drop-out who liked wearing jean jackets and cowboy boots and really just liked to have fun. When he asked Dad for my "hand in marriage" my folks did not bat an eye at his college status or lack of direction because in their maturity they could see beyond that to a really great kid. The character and integrity my folks saw in this 20-year-old has multiplied ten-fold in 29 years. I could give you one example after another, but most of those can be summed up with one simple image, an image that is forever etched into my mind.

The image plays out like this: Greg, tired from a long day of work and an evening playing with Ben, supervising Grace's pool party, and connecting with Jess at college, finally crawls into bed. We both fall asleep quickly, only to be awoken by the cries of a newborn baby. We don't really know this little girl yet, only that the 2-day-old baby is small, working some drugs out of her system, and her birth mother is unable to care for her. I roll over to make my way to the crying baby when Greg touches my arm and says, "No. I got it. Go back to sleep". I could see him out of our bedroom door, gently snuggling and comforting this vulnerable child. I remember thinking, "What man does this? Works long hours supporting his family, comes home to engage with his family, gives sleep back to his wife, and sweetly embraces a stranger's child?" At the moment I knew I was one blessed woman and was reminded Greg had a heart of gold, a heart that had just begun to make room for a fourth child.

Thank you Greg for loving us all with this tenderness and respect. I hope our children grow, mature, develop and find a spouse who has the same kind of integrity you exemplify each day. I see your quiet confidence and tender nature as a reflection of God. You have an amazing kindness that blesses this world and an unwavering faith that guides your actions! Calvin friends, who knew? 

Happy Anniversary Greg!

J.