40 Reasons Why I Admire My Wife…

1. Because you invest the time to make our daughters homemade lunches to take to school, often including a loving note, a sandwich bag with hearts on it, and healthy options like fruit.

2. Because you have taught/trained our children to often reach for a healthy snack like fruit when they are hungry.

3. Because you make a delicious and nutritious homemade meal for dinner each night.

4. Because you consistently invest time in our children as you assist them in practicing the piano and violin, as you read books to them, and as you do fun crafts with them.

5. Because you are constantly striving to create great experiences for our children so they can have great memories of their childhoods when they are older.

6. Because you are not pre-occupied/overly enamored with material possessions.

7. Because you are willing to accept God’s call/challenge to home-school our children when it would be much easier not to do so.

8. Because of the way that you decorate our home with inexpensive but classy touches for different holidays/seasons like Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Halloween, birthdays, etc.

9. Because you set out to enhance/improve your environment in any way you can, whether it’s putting up closet shelves to make efficient use of limited space or whether it’s digging out scraggly bushes next to our house to plant a lush garden of impatiens flowers 

10. Because of the way you accept and rarely complain about the size of our home.

11. Because of the creative ways that you consistently reach out to our neighbors to share the love of Jesus with your words and actions.

12. Because of the ways that you make our neighborhood a fun place to live, whether through Camp In A Box, Lent and Advent devotions, Easter egg hunt, Halloween, movie nights for the kids, barbecues, fire-pits, etc.

13. Because of the ways that you model for our children what it means to work hard, to persevere, and to not complain.

14. Because of the ways that you model for our daughters what it means to be a real woman, a true daughter of the King of Glory.

15. Because you never take the easy way out, you never cut corners, and you always do your best, whether it’s creating a YouTube video or brushing our kids’ teeth.

16. Because of the way you expertly and efficiently handle the paying of bills, the submitting of medical reimbursements, the scheduling of dental/doctor visits, and all of those other tasks that are like mental poison ivy to me.

17. Because of the way that you love your brother and sisters.

18. Because of the ways you bring classical music into our home every day and are helping to develop in our children an appreciation of the fine arts (and not just pop-culture).

19. Because I know that if you could do your life over again you would still choose to marry me.

20. Because of the way that you have made me laugh, at least once, literally every day that we have been together.

21. Because of the ways you don’t let fear stop you from doing what is right.

22. Because you show me everyday what it looks like to give up everything to follow Jesus even though others have ridiculed you for loving Him.

23. Because of the ways that you consistently put the needs of others before your own.

24. Because you sing our children’s “night-night” songs every night before bed even when you are exhausted.

25. Because you don’t allow your parents’ treatment of you as a child to define you/limit you.

26. Because of the ways that you can genuinely poke fun at yourself.

27. Because you make a fun game out of saving money instead of constantly complaining.

28. Because of the deep love/compassion you have for all children and your desire to preserve, for as long as possible, their innocence.

29. Because you freely chose to put your singing and corporate career on-hold so that you could constantly be home to raise/teach our children.

30. Because you enjoy doing a project yourself, if possible, instead of hiring a “professional.”

31. Because of the ways that you put up with my shortcomings as the Holy Spirit teaches me to be a real man of His.

32. Because of the ways that you are learning to treat yourself every once in a while, whether to a Chai Tea Latte from Starbuck’s, a tea from Teavana, or to an evening out with your sister.

33. Because of the ways that you unabashedly ask me, as I’m driving home late at night from school or church, to “bring me something to eat that I will regret in the morning.” 🙂

34. Because of the ways that you get all five of our children ready for church every Sunday morning on your own because I work at church and need to be there early each week.

35. Because of the ways that you have helped/encouraged me to finish my seminary degree.

36. Because you carried and birthed each of our five children.

37. Because your love for Jesus is real, genuine, and growing all the time.

38. Because, as tough/strong/vocal as you are, you still don’t like to send back a poorly cooked meal at a restaurant.

39. Because you still get excited about simple things like having a “brand-name” grocery store item or watching the latest episode of “The Office” on Hulu with a bag of Classic Lays chips.

40. Because I would be a satisfied Papa if my daughters grew up to be just like you.

Those are just some of the reasons why I admire you…

Happy Valentine’s Day