Happy Birthday Becah!

In honor of my wonderful wife's birthday week, I would like to present our lovely date night on the Mississippi River. We went on what is called a riverboat cruise courtesy of my sister and brother-in-law. It was a graduation/birthday present from them. It was a really great evening. The river was beautiful. The weather was cool and refreshing. We had a wonderful little table and had a buffet of, barbecue of course. It was great to take a break out the daily grind to spend it with my wife. 

What was really great was how long the cruise was. It went too long for us to simply chit chat about the daily grind. We ran out of things to talk about our days, our weeks, our work, or our problems. Then we just had each other. We talked about hopes and dreams like we did when we first started dating. We talked about what we want to do in 10 years, where we want to go. We dreamed about where we would honeymoon or spending our summers in places that weren't so hot. 

That was the real blessing of the evening. Yes, the food was great. The view was beautiful. The time was peaceful. But more than that the company was everything. I got to see through pounds of stress, schedules, lists, priorities, and get back to being in love with my wife. Just us, our words, and the space between all that. It was a truly sacred time.

I love my wife dearly, and I forget sometimes how easy it is to not see her. All of her. Every detail of her face and every crevice of her soul. I once read that the average marriage after the 1st year of marriage only spends 27 minutes a day talking 1 on 1 and these conversations are mostly procedural. You talk about your day, who has to pick up the kids, when will you be home, can you grab broccoli. That statistic used to make me really sad. I see now though how it becomes a reality. It becomes so easy for my wife to be a roommate or a point person. However when I slow down enough and turn off my brain, she really becomes my prize. My jewel. My reward. When I realize just how good I have it, I find I have it really really good.