Blessed

I’m truly humbled this evening as I read the most recent post on my wife’s blog. I always enjoy her writings, even if they are aimed at moms. I love every blog entry she generates, but this one is her best ever, since it is about me
She wrote it for my birthday which is on 6/2. It is special to me not just for the time she spent writing it, but because I know it truly reflects how she feels about me. I’m lucky to have Melanie as my wife, as my friend and as my “baby mama”. I’m thankful that after almost 14 years of marriage she still wants to keep me around. I’m crazy about her as well.

You can find my soon to be published wife’s blog at http://a-mothers-journey.blogspot.com
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Wednesday, June 01, 2011
reposted from a-mothers-journey.blogspot.com

Married to an Ironman

My husband is an Ironman.

I have always been amazed by him, since the night we met. He impressed me right away with his kindness and the manner of respect that he showed me. OK, well, first with his broad shoulders, muscular legs and blue eyes, but really, the kindness and respect were right after those. I met him after a long relationship that had ended in heartbreak and betrayal. It had been almost a year since that relationship ended. I was not looking for another guy. But, I met him anyway. He blew me away after only a few minutes together. I could tell right away that he was the real deal. He was easy to talk to. He was a gentleman. I actually asked him what was wrong with him on the night we met. I assumed there must have been a flaw for him to be single. There was not.

I told my roommate that night that I thought I had met “the one”. Now that I am older, I will tell you, I don’t believe there is a “one”. Although this does not sound very romantic, I believe there are a large number of men that I could have committed to and lived a relatively happy life. However, I am so proud that I chose wisely. For once in my life! In fact, the morning after the Ironman, I bragged to my mom and dad, “I married a winner!” Truth is, this was just as true on our wedding day as it was after the race.

Michael did not have the beautiful childhood that I was blessed to have. He has never used that as an excuse to be less than what God created him to be. God planted within him at a young age a drive to succeed and a desire to hold himself to a higher standard. God planted within him a seed of self-discipline, mental fortitude and commitment the likes of which I have rarely seen in another human. He does not look for the easy way out. He does not shirk challenges. In fact, he seeks them out. He puts his nose to the grindstone for as long as it takes. And then, he conquers the challenge. And he comes out stronger than before. This is the way he lives his life. He does what he says he will do. He is faithful to complete everything he begins. He willingly makes sacrifices for the good of our family. In a world full of big, spoiled, little boys, Michael is a man. This is why he amazes me.

The finish line was like something from a movie. He had told me, and many others, that he would achieve his life dream of crossing the finish line, or he would go off on a stretcher. Methodically, he checked each hurdle off his “to do” list that day. First, a 2.4 mile swim. Next, a 112 mile bike ride. Finally, a marathon (26.2 mile run). Looking like a warrior after nearly 17 hours of struggle, he did cross it. And as our children screamed, “Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” I knew in my heart we had all witnessed something profound and sacred. A moment that I will never forget. A moment that will stick with our children as they grow and struggle and face their own challenges in life. We were all able to see from the outside what goes on inside the heart of a champion. There was pain. There was sacrifice. The odds were against him. He just kept putting one foot in front of the other. He pressed on, step by step. He would not accept defeat. He never surrendered.

And as he crossed the line, five minutes before the deadline, Mike Riley proclaimed to everyone who could hear it those magic words, “Michael, you are an Ironman!”

But I already knew that.