The birthday season in Hoppenworld is in full swing and next up is Craig today!
However, he is that guy that could care less what today is and could care even less if the day is made special. Secretly, I think he just pretends not to care. He always says it's just another day blah blah blah but I think differently. I think birthdays are about cake, presents, road trips, and it can all happen on your birthday. So on mine, it does! His not so much. We will go out for a nice dinner together and reminisce and that's all he wants. So be it I guess.
You will hear me say often what a great guy he is, but in the time I am trying to write this little blurb he has interrupted me no less than four times. Because it is his birthday, I am not saying a word. Which is hard for me. Once and a while you just got to dig deep and hold back, which is what I am doing right this minute.
Anyway, back to the great guy thing. He is, I had no idea when I walked down the aisle at eighteen years old what a gem I was getting. I was in love and wasn't thinking past the moment in front of me. I didn't know about the trials we would face. The hardship of being young and broke with a baby or two. I didn't know how we would handle the loss of our loved ones together. I certainly didn't know what life would like as we walked through addiction and recovery.
God knew. He had the perfect plan for us. Now that I am older, (not as old as Craig) I can see what God was shaping us for in the hard places. Did we handle everything perfectly in the 35 years we have been together? That's a hard no my friends.
The thing is, we have grown up together, into this place in our 50's (he is considered later 50's now, not me) and we have learned a lot. Lessons we try to pass on to our kids and anyone else that will listen.
So if you see him today, be sure to wish him a happy birthday. Keep it low key though, seems that's how he rolls.
In that, I want to say
"Happy Birthday Craig, not a day goes by that you are not a gift to me. I am so grateful that God brought us together so many years ago and brought us now to this place in our lives where we get to grow old together"
(again, this will happen sooner to him than me.)
