From a boy . . .
. . . to a man . . .
. . . to a husband . . .
. . . to a father . . .
I know that technically an "ode" is a poem that is meant to be sung. This is not a poem and nobody, I mean nobody wants to hear me sing! But once I have a title in my head it is really hard to replace it with another. So correct or not, it is what it is.Now that we have that cleared up I want to talk about what a joy it is to married to such a wonderful man. I know that on a day like Father's Day, a majority of the world will claim that they have the BEST Father, Husband, Grandpa, etc. in the whole world. Now since I am in to defining words today, "best" indicates that something is of the highest quality, excellence, or standing. All of which, in my opinion, ring true for my mate.
He is one QUALITY guy! There are some 13 different definitions of the word quality, but the one I am referring to is: marked by a concentrated expenditure of involvement, concern, or commitment.
I knew from day one that Derek would be an excellent father, but to be completely honest, he has surpassed the excellence that I had imagined. His INVOLVEMENT in everyday happenings is beyond what I would expect. Did you know that he never missed a Dr. appointment? Or that he voluntarily read my belly a book every night for 5 months? How about the fact that he wakes up at 1am, or 2am, or 3am to feed his daughter, even though he has to be to work at 5:30am, simply because he enjoys it? I am in no way implying that if a man does not do these things, that he is not excellent, but these are ways Derek chooses to be involved and I am so grateful for all of them!
Is Derek a CONCERNED parent? Um, ya, I'd have to say so. Situation: We put our crying newborn baby into the car to go home for the first time. Before we're out of the parking lot she is quiet. We spend the rest of the ride home with Derek trying to navigate the car while he is turning around to make sure she is still breathing. "Babies like car rides" I tell him. He doesn't believe me. He's certain that something is wrong. I appreciate his concern, but thank goodness we are past that:) Situation: We go to sleep expecting to be waken by hungry cries around midnight. It's 12am, nothing. 12:30am, nothing. 1am, nothing. At 2am, I am woken to the sound of a baby being burped. "Did she cry?" I asked. "No, it was just bothering me that she hadn't eaten so I woke her up." Our baby finally decides to sleep through the night and she is disturbed by her concerned daddy. I love him even more for the fact that he cares.
I think the fact that Derek is INVOLVED, and CONCERNED, shows that he is COMMITTED. He always gives 100% to our marriage, to our child, but more importantly to God. His foundation in Christ inspires me everyday. In fact, I long to have a charactor such as his. He studies IT, and he lives IT. He is humble, he is kind, he is oh so very patient . . . he is the BEST!
Don't hesitate to tell the world why you think the man in your life is the BEST. More significantly, don't hesistate to tell him!
Here's to many more . . .
