A Letter to My Husband - Opposites Attract

The topic this week is the saying, “opposites attract”. 
(I hope that I am not the only one who immediately starts humming the Janet Jackson song)

I have always thought that this was kind of an obvious statement but I suppose because it does hold some truth to it, there’s no harm in using it.

Dear Husband,

From day one you have always been the book smart one. You are the one who understands numbers, business and history (and actually likes these things). Me? I like to think that what I lack in math and history smarts I make up for with a love for literature and all things artistic. You are a worrier by nature and you have figured out how to make a sport of pacing around the house tormenting yourself about what could happen. I tend to be the type who believes that most of the time things could be worse and that we will just have to deal with what life hands us when it happens. You think I’m crazy for sitting down with a book for hours and losing myself in its pages and characters. I think you’re crazy for sitting down with the golf channel for more than 5 minutes. You almost always try to keep your thoughts and emotions to yourself while I prefer to talk about almost everything that comes across my mind.  You have a natural instinct regarding directions and an ability to determine where to go regardless of where we are and I…sadly … would get lost in a paper bag.

I could probably go on for days about the things that make us so different from one another but it doesn’t matter how many things there are or what they are in the long run. We fell in love despite our differences because love finds a common ground and then grows. We have grown up together and have learned to embrace our differences, our commonalities and the changes.

That being said, I have this sneaking suspicion that you are going to come home tonight and excitedly bake stuffed salmon in the house while I gag and make cartoon-like faces (I do not like when the house smells like fish and I think your salmon looks the same going down as it would coming up. Ugh.) Just another example that some days...we are so different. But ya know what?

I’m loving every minute of it.

Love,

Elyse

A Letter to My Husband – On the Morning Routine

I wrote a little while back about a couple that decided to write each other letters (on a particular topic) each Monday. I adore that this couple shares their thoughts with each other and the world and seem to write so eloquently about simple, day-to-day topics.

My goal going forward (please don’t hold me to it) is to write to my husband each week/month taking a cue from the topics that others have written on. He may never read the letters or perhaps someday he may stumble across them and laugh about his crazy wife and her constant need to write about life.

A Letter to My Husband – On the Morning Routine

(The original topic was on the nightly routine but I found myself drawn towards the morning with you)

Dear Husband,

It’s 11am and I’m sitting at my desk with my lunch in hand and my back turned to the work world for a short while. I’m finally starting to feel awake which is sad considering I woke up at 6:40am and it’s nearly noon. I think about the way each morning starts with you and the vast differences there are between us when it comes to how we handle them. Your energy is something akin to a toy car that you pull backwards and then let go – zooming around the room, crashing into things and creating random joy and chaos. I would relate my morning energy to that of a deadly snake. I often slink out of bed slowly and slither around the room and if tested will strike at whoever gets in my way (a lesson you have yet to learn).

I enjoy our morning banter and the fact that you always try to get me to make you breakfast and lunch. I will never understand how you eat pizza or leftover fish for breakfast but I appreciate the fact that you dispose of any leftovers I refuse to eat. I love that you have to have sports talk on to provide the soundtrack to your morning routine and that it’s pointless because you heard it all the night before as  you fell asleep listening to Sports Center. I fear that I know more about sports than I have ever wanted to as a result.

My favorite moment in our morning routine is also my least because kissing you goodbye for the day is both sweet and sad. In an ideal world we would never have this part of the morning routine because we would spend each day on a random and fun adventure together. You leave for work (after I make you check your pockets for a wallet and phone) and I spend the next few minutes with God. In the brief silence following the moment you walk out the door I make sure to pray for you and everyone that I love, for the day ahead.

This is our typical morning routine and it makes me consider how lonely my morning routine once was without you. Funny how something as simple as reflecting on daily habits can make you appreciate what you have. So husband, here’s to all of the mornings we have had together and to all of the mornings I look forward to sharing with you in the future.

Love,

Elyse

One Foot Forward...

“Ugh Elyse…you’re so boring.”

This is the mental dialogue that bounces around in my head every time I sit down to write something new lately. When I don’t write it builds up and then I have too many thoughts and not enough words to express them. So I forced myself to sit still today…to just think…which led to looking around blankly…which eventually led me to my feet.

I know what you’re thinking (if you’re like me in regards to feet), “Eew”.

But before you start visualizing my not so lovely feet and why I would even imagine starting a blog with that mental image…bear with me…

Not long ago I wrote about Perspective and how God continues to help me find it when I seem to be losing sight of what’s important http://eb-allyouneedislove.blogspot.com/2011/08/perspective.html . There was a quote that He placed in front of me that day that spoke to me and has continued to ever since.

I’d like to say that the quote and His guidance that day set me straight, that I haven’t lost focus of the significant blessings in my life and that I’m nothing but smiles every day …but that would be a lie. I still have those random bad days of feeling lost, worried, angry and sometimes jealous…but that’s normal and God knows that I will never be anything close to perfect. I think that God acknowledges our tendency to lose focus and surrounds us with people, moments, words, songs and situations that are meant to guide us back.

So for Elyse Navidad this year, along with celebrating with family and friends, I decided to get a reminder of this life lesson…a new tattoo.

Now you must realize that the Husband is not particularly fond of tattoos…he never has been and likely never will be. However, he tolerates my adoration for them and supports me regardless…and I think it probably helped that I wasn’t going for anything higher than the foot.  

Sadly, one cannot fit a quote that large onto a foot my size (trust me…it was going to be a hot mess) so I had to get creative with what I wanted to include.

The final result:

I believe in love even when I don’t feel it.

I believe in God even when he is silent.

I am so happy with how it turned out and as silly as it may seem, I love that this tattoo is on my foot. Many of you know that I also have a tattoo on my other foot that I got with my sisters a few years back. It’s special to me because they are and now both of my tattoos continue to remind me to always keep life in perspective and that I am truly blessed.  

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105

P.S. – That’s leftover ink on my foot…not dirt…I did not Flinstone my way to the tattoo shop that day.

Love,

Elyse