I cannot believe it is here again, but it is August 24, and that means time to honor my dear hubby as we celebrate his BIRTHDAY! No better way to celebrate him than to share the character of the man that existed in our early years of marriage (1982-’87).

Who chooses a wife to feed when you are about to embark on your poorest years yet?! What a challenge! But a challenge he met with dog-determination!

My husband’s motto could have been, “He who does not work shall not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:8-10, LB). It certainly rings true, “The man who works hard sleeps well whether he eats little or much, . . . (Ecclesiastes 5:12, LB). His Seminary training began fifteen months after we said, “I do”! During that time, he worked two jobs, sometimes three, mowing the lawn for our apartment complex where we lived, washing dishes at the hospital where two of our children were born, and coaching basketball and then baseball, or working on the landscaping crew for the college/seminary (which included mounds of snow removal during the winter months), all while taking a full load of classes, AND finding time to study in the school library (I was jealous of Carrel). He not only had a wife to provide for but a baby by the start of our second year. And then our fourth year produced another baby. 😉  And yes, a fourth year because he was convinced a Th.M., would serve him better than an M.Div. like we originally agreed upon. (He was right!)

Yet, I marvel because, there never was a time when he showed any disdain for the load he was under; selflessly working and studying to earn a better degree to serve the Lord in full-time ministry. I never remember a complaint leaving his lips. Not even a look that communicated the bad hand that he had been dealt. (That would come later when we played numerous games of Phase 10)! Sadly, I wasn’t much help, other than typing his papers for the first couple of years and making flash cards for Greek and Hebrew classes. He was up early (usually singing in the shower) and stayed up late! He even took laundry to the Washateria when our second child came along. This guy of mine selflessly served our family the whole four years of that theology degree. I am incredibly honored to be “the one” he chose to take along! I am eternally grateful for the character and servant-leader qualities that I STILL see shining through to this day!

Happy Birthday to my dearest, Rodrigo, with all my love!

A favorite quote from Patsy Clairmont certainly rings true:

Look for what’s right in life and people, instead of what’s wrong. Anybody can find the wrong, but it takes the astute to discern the right, the good, and the worthy.