Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

My dear husband just turned 40 years old. Unfortunately thoughts of celebrating his special day were ruined. It turned out to be a very miserable day for him. I haven't seen my husband this upset in over 3 years. I felt so bad for him! It can be terribly painful to deal with difficulties like this, but at the same time there is such a special, intense, and amazing feeling that comes when we come together at times like this. Just as exercise makes the athlete stronger, these trials only make us and our marriage stronger as well. I am so proud of my husband for who he is, and I look forward to many, many more birthdays with him!

On our wedding day 11 years ago (since I didn't get a chance to mention our anniversary last month)


A note to my mom:
Thank you for being so loving and supportive to Ernie. The message you sent him first thing in the morning was very loving, and I know it made him feel good. It was wonderful for him to have that in his mind later on that day. The fact he called you first that evening says a lot, and that he called you again near midnight says even more. He knows you care about him, he knows you love him as your son. He knows he can look to you for support and encouragement. Thank you for loving my husband so beautifully. Thank you for choosing to be a positive part of our lives. I called our wonderful preacher (the one who watched me grow up and married us, then later moved to FL where he dedicated Caleb and baptized Ernie) to see what he thought about it all since he has been there from the beginning and knows the whole story. Of course, he was full of encouragement and support for us and especially Ernie, but I especially liked what he said about you. As I told him how bad I felt for my precious children for what they have to miss out on, he told me how lucky they are to have you in their lives. Yes, they are lucky, we are all lucky to have you, but much more so are we blessed to have you!