Diamonds or Tin?

Bryan showed up at the front door with this hand-picked (meaning he picked-out each stem, not literally picked from the side of the road or someone's garden) bouquet in a silver vase and a card. I had just gotten on the phone and the doorbell rang. I never answer the door if I'm not expecting someone. :) I do look out the peep hole though, just in case someone wanted to surprise me with a fun UPS package. He must have hidden because no one was standing there when I peeped. So, I continued on with my phone call until the doorbell rang again. At that point, I opened the door and there was my sweat, I mean, sweet husband. He informed me he'd done a little research and found out the proper gift for celebrating 10 years of marriage is diamonds, aluminum, or tin. He quickly added he'd need a couple more years to save for the diamonds! Fortunately, he has learned in these past 10 years not to show up to our door with a box of foil, which was really his only other option. Especially since it's isn't the right time of the month to show up in Canton and buy me some "rusty tin c@#$", as he lovingly refers to my 1st Monday finds. So, he opted for a "silver" vase. The flowers are all meaningful as well: red gerbera daisies because that was my wedding bouquet, sunflowers because he surprised me by having some delivered while he was in Iraq, and the purple (what are those?? irises?) because my favorite color is purple (which I'm not sure he knew...or really cared about...until we had children, particularly our girls!). Is he not the greatest husband in the world??! If you don't think so now, just wait till I write out all his sweet words from the card! Kidding, B.

We had a very typical evening after that. I made a quick meal of grilled brats and squash, boiled some ravioli, and threw it all on a plate with some watermelon. As I sat and observed the scene at my dinner table I wondered what I would have thought if somehow a picture of that moment could have been shown to me 10 years ago. It was the normal chaos of each child trying to speak over the other in order to let Daddy know about his/her day with a little bit of whining about the squash from Libs and an adamant, "I don't like supper!" from Levi and a mom-and-dad-pleasing-first-born eating up all her vegetable goodness. And, of course, the man I love, still by my side through it all. I don't take that for granted and I know I haven't always made that easy.

I am thankful and joyful today. And not just because Nana and Poppa are watching the 3 tonight, so we get to have a real date! I am thankful and joyful for all that God has done and allowed, the truly good and the bad that turned to good and, even the bad that hasn't turned to good yet, but I know it will because He is so good. For the record, Bryan is in the truly good category. :)