Wives
“Our house has noise, mess and far too many shoes by the door. It also has a warmth that everyone feels the moment they walk in.”
“I see you at the kitchen table late at night, cutting out letters and planning lessons. Your students will never know how much love goes into each one.”
“Slowly, the light is coming back into our days, and I can see it in your smile. That smile is the best thing I have seen all year.”
“I have been given credit for a great deal that was half yours or more than half. I have let people think it because it was easier than telling the longer story.”
“Our baby does not know it yet, but they got the best mother in the world. Someday they will understand how lucky they are, and I already do.”
“You have always seen the man I can be, even when I fall short of it. I fell short this time, and I am sorry. I am working to be that man again.”
“Birthday cakes, beach days and messy holidays, you made all of those memories. Our kids will carry them forever, and so will I.”
“You have cared for so many patients, and now you have the most important one of all. Our baby has the most caring, capable mom in the whole world.”
“I keep thinking about the weekend we painted the nursery and argued over the shade. Now there is a real baby sleeping in it, and you were right about the color.”
“You told me to slow down for years and I treated it as nagging. I have slowed down now and the only thing I regret is how long I took.”
“The photo of you on my desk gets me through every long afternoon. People ask who she is, and I get to say she is my wife.”
“Yesterday we were two, and today there is a whole new person who needs us. I have never been more nervous, or more sure that I picked the right partner.”
“The same calm your patients count on is the calm our kids feel at home. They may not know it yet, but they have the best nurse in the world for a mom.”
“You look after patients all day and then come home and look after our kids. You do both with the same gentle hands and the same endless patience.”
“A hand on my shoulder, a note on the counter, a cup of tea without asking. Your small kindnesses got me through a very big year.”
“I love the big moments, but it is the small ones I keep closest. Your coffee order, your sleepy hello and the way you say my name.”
“All these years on and neither of us has given a single inch about the thermostat. I could end it tomorrow by simply saying that you were right. I am not going to.”
“You listen to our kids like every story is the most important one you have ever heard. That is why they tell you everything, and why they always will.”
“After all this time, I still love the way you say my name. It has sounded like home from the very first time.”
“You see the good in people, even when they cannot see it in themselves. I know, because you did it for me, and it changed my whole life.”
“I have watched you show up for your friends, your family and even strangers. You give your kindness away so freely, and it still amazes me.”
“I would not change one thing about you, not even the way you sing in the car. Especially not that. It is one of my favorite things in the world.”
“Your ring has worn thin on one side from years of actual work. A jeweler offered to build it back up and you said no without asking me.”
“I chose my words badly, and I know they stung. You did not deserve that, and I am so sorry I said them.”