Joel – you were one of the hardest working men I knew. Not just for our family but in each area of our lives. You took care of virtually everything, especially after I started making the commute to/from Asheville for work in these most recent of months. While I might have made the meal plans and went to the grocery store…you did it all…laundry – starting supper – cleaning up dishes – helping with baths – bedtime routines – paying the bills – handling the outdoor yard work – taking out the trash – dealing with sibling fights – helping with homework (okay…maybe I still did that too) – picking up meds at the pharmacy for the kids – taking the children to their doctor appointments – negotiating car insurance rates whenever it was time to renew…the list goes on. It makes it kind of look like I never did anything anything doesn’t it? But, we just switched roles, in many of these areas. You once handled the 75-mile one-way commute, and I did the majority of the other chores.
Even so…I never thank you enough.
When you carried little Austyn up the stairs to bed at night after he had fallen asleep in my arms, because you wanted to protect my knee…I never thanked you enough.
When you daily went to the grocery store and started a relationship with the butcher so that you could be “in the know” with the timing of meat markdowns in an effort to keep our large family fed well…I never thanked you enough.
When you taught the children to make their beds and enforced it each morning (even on the crazy mornings) to show them good habits, discipline, and consistency…I never thanked you enough.
When you took time to write long messages in cards you gave me (or our children)…messages that were very thought through and from the heart…I never thanked you enough.
When you accepted my own biological daughter as your own when we married…never thinking for one second that she didn’t come from you too…I never thanked you enough.
When we agreed to foster 3-8 year-olds, primarily, and I begged you to take on a little 6-month-old desperate for a placement, and he’s now our 3-year-old SON…I never thanked you enough.
When I asked if you were up for the challenge of biking the Virginia Creeper Trail, zip-lining, and horseback riding ALL in the SAME DAY – you didn’t bat an eye, and….I never thanked you enough.
For what it’s worth now…thank you for EVERYTHING my sweet love! We lived so much life together in our few short years as husband and wife. But that short time has given me a lifetime of beautiful memories and an expanded beautiful family…yours, mine, and ours. THANK YOU! I’ll never stop loving you. Until we meet again…
