A Family Man

Today I express my gratitude for my wonderful husband.
Today he is wonderful because he loves to support and be a part of my family.

While growing up, I loved spending time with my family. Though I knew we weren't perfect, I still thought we were pretty amazing. How many little girls these days gets to grow up with nieces and nephews, who make being the youngest truly the best because you still get younger kids in the family, but you don't have to deal with most of the bad things about younger siblings! What a life!

Now that I'm older, I still love my family. We don't get to spend as much time together now. Unfortunately,  the older siblings' families have gotten into other obligations and so we only spend a few hours together every few months, if we're lucky.

One thing that I learned about my family while young and still now, is that I want to always be an active part of it. I knew that to do that, I needed my husband to stand by me in that. Too long have I watched my brothers-in-law avoid spending time with my family, making it hard for my sisters to appreciate time with us. Out of my fours sisters, only one got a catch who makes an effort to fit in with the family.

So, when I was young I dreamt of and while dating I searched for a guy who wouldn't be scared of my parents, who could have conversations with my brothers, who could make my sisters laugh, who fit in as well as my in-laws, and who the kids would beg to play with. I could hardly expect him to be void of being critical of my family when I sometimes tend to do so myself, but I wanted at least for it not to keep him from loving them.

I got better and more! John loves my family, and is everything I could have asked for. He makes an effort to include them in our life and looks forward to spending time with them. He supports them and cares for them. He helps me when I am impatient with them. He's excited to do things for and with them.

I love my husband, and I am grateful to have a family man.