Take my hand...

...take my whole life too

For I can't help

Falling in love with you

-Elvis Presley, "I Can't Help Falling in Love"

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving, Day #27 - My husband.

When I think of the blessings in my life, Derek is consistently at the top of the list. Y'all can write me off as a hopeless romantic, but I can't imagine a more perfect match for me. I know there's no one I'd rather be with in a hospital waiting room. No one I'd rather take a walk with on the beach. No one I'd rather talk to at the end of a hard day. No one I'd rather celebrate my life's milestones with. He's not perfect, but he's perfect for me.

I can't understand why he puts up with some of my less-than-perfect qualities, but he seems to love me anyway. Actually, he doesn't just love me in spite of my faults, he loves me completely - including my faults.

I've come to love him even more since we became parents. He's a great dad, feeding the baby a bottle in one arm, making pancakes for breakfast with the other hand. He's far better at managing the chaos of the fix dinner/eat/playtime/bedtime routine far better than I do. He does the grocery shopping, for goodness' sake! He tells the boys funny stories and makes me smile every day.

But what I love and admire most is the way that he manages to stay calm and collected through everything. He has an amazing ability to take my anxieties & peel them away from me when the wheels fall off the wagon. He's calming and reassuring and never lets the little things get to him. That's why he's perfect for me, and I'm incredibly thankful to have him walking beside me.