To My Husband on His Birthday...

In March my Father-in-law celebrated his 60th birthday.  Because I am a lousy gift-giver (definitely not my love language unfortunately...) I sat down at my computer and decided to write him a letter to let him know how fruitful the past 60 years of his life have been.  (Incidentally, through this process I decided that I should try to do this more often - write letters to my family members on their birthdays as a more meaningful way of letting them know their value in my sight, rather than my lousy attempts at gifts.  We'll see how that goes.)

Now...I can't speak extensively on the ENTIRETY of the legacy my Father-in-law has begun over the years or all the different varieties of fruit involved, but what I can speak about is the outcome of one of his sons; my husband Ryan.  The man he is today is a huge testament to the life and character of his father.  In my opinion, in those 60 years, he has grown quite a son, thereby giving us the most wonderful gift: an amazing husband and father.  THAT is SOME legacy!!

 Today is Ryan's Thirty-somethingth birthday and since the letter to his Dad really speaks about how I see Ryan himself as a husband and father, I wanted to share a part of it with him here...and with you in attempt to publicly honor and cherish the man that I do life with day in and day out.  The man God gifted to me and of whom I have the blessed privilege to call my partner, my Head, my very best friend. 
SO hopefully my FIL doesn't mind me sharing part of this letter and my husband doesn't mind me calling him out in such a public arena, but it's my opinion that us wives could do well to publicly endorse our husbands every chance we get.  Here goes:

To My husband on his Thirty-Something^th Birthday (as taken from the letter to your father on his 60th),

Ryan, it's hard to buy a present for the guy who has everything and needs nothing.  So today I want you to know the gift YOU are to our family.  To me and our three-almost four-kids.  I am so grateful for you and want to shout from the mountain tops how blessed I am, how blessed our children are, how proud I am of the man you have become and are becoming, and how delighted I am that you are taking me with you on your journey.  

When I look at you I see a man who:

Loves the Lord first at all times and in all situations.  Because of this, you overflow with love for me and our kids.  We witness your love for us daily.  It is so obvious that you enjoy just being present with us!

Can always be trusted.  You make wise decisions for our family and work hard to meet our needs.  We do not doubt that you are there for us, nor do we worry or want for anything.  We know we are safe with you.

Is eager to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.  You long to serve the Lord with your life and be at the centre of His will.  This causes you to make decisions that some may question, and live a life that is not always popular with those around you, but you gently and easily guide us through these changes in such a way that we are delighted to follow your lead.  It is obvious to see Who you are chasing after.  Because of this I have no problem chasing after you...wherever it takes me!

Is unaffected by the opinions of man.  You truly care not for what other people think of you, only what God thinks of you.   As someone who struggles to live in this way, I can tell you it is a very admirable quality. 

Is unafraid to take risks.  This makes life interesting, let me tell you.  It also enables us to live in situations where we are depending on God’s faithfulness to provide for us, rather than meeting our own needs.  This has taught our kids these lessons at an early age, and grown the faith of our entire family in big ways, don't you think?

Makes us laugh, takes us on the most fun adventures, and infuses our family with so much happiness.  Our house is a fun (if not noisy!) place to be because of you!  But I must say, I'm not sure how we will fit one more into that "Dog-pile on Daddy."  And as for calling on me to help you during said dog-piles...You know you ask for it.  You know you love it.  It's written all over your face.

Is selfless.  I know you'd often like to play basketball 3 nights a week, watch hockey every day, buy all the latest tech gadgets, and golf every weekend, but you continually lay down your own interests for what is best for the rest of us.  I am amazed at how easily you die to self to benefit our family.  Thank You.

Is a man who is fully submitted to Christ.  Because of that and all the above, you are a husband who is easy to be in submission to.  When a wife has no question about the authority of her husband because she sees him in authority to the Lord…submitting to him as the leader is not just easy, but a pleasure!  I can testify to that first hand and publicly without hesitation.  And I think that it's fitting to do just that on this your birthday.

Ryan, we honor and celebrate you today and everyday!  May the Lord continue to bless and keep you, shine His face upon you and give you peace.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

We LOVE you SO very much, I could gush for hours but I will spare you some dignity.

From the bottom of my heart,

KaraLyn (and the kids too!)

p.s. hurry back across that ocean so we can celebrate together, would you?!