A Tribute to My Wife

I am proud of my wife and I want to say a few things about her. There are many things to be proud of over the last 18 years and because of who Katy is I am a much better person. Many years ago Katy taught me that It was ok to love again. She has shown me over the years that she loves me unconditionally and that she is willing to stick by my side no matter what. You remember the wedding vows I am sure. I guess in this day and age the traditional wedding vows no longer hold the meaning and commitment that they once did however with regards to my wife and I we meant them with all our hearts. We have been through a lot in the last 18 years. We have experienced serious family illness with our angel Jessica and then we experienced her passing. We have experienced the difficulty of depression and have seen how it can devastate a family unit and cause other things to be neglected. We have experienced financial difficulty during times when we desperately needed money in order to pay bills and try and keep things afloat. Our personal relationship with one another was strained and tested to the point of almost breaking. The pain and trauma of all those things would have blown most marriages and relationships wide open. Despite all of the garbage my gizmo and I were committed and are still committed to one another and to our kids. Our faith while shaken became stronger and stronger. Like most we questioned God at every turn wondering why things had to be the way they are. We begged for Him to do a miraculous healing in our Jessica but also in our finances. At times God seemed to be far away and distant. Sometimes I wondered if the pain and trauma of living through the experiences we have shared were really worth it.

As I look back at our experiences in the last 18 years I can see how Katy's faith in God and her undying faith in me have helped her to get through a lot of junk. I remember how Katy spent endless days and nights tending to Jessica's needs both at home and at the hospital. I remember how hopeful she was for Jessica's recovery despite the negative projections and prognosis from the doctors and hospital staff. I remember how she would help Jessica do some of the most basic things in her end days because she could not do them. I remember how Katy and I both have struggled in the last seven years to find a semblance of normalcy within our family as we have struggled to pick up the pieces and go on. The fact of the matter is that we will never be normal and our family has lost one of its members. Those memories will never fade into the night and will always be fresh in our minds. The pain of grief has lessened over the years and we have learned how to endure it and to function during the darkest hours when grief rears its ugly head.

Katy has shown me how to be selfless despite my natural instinct to be selfish. Katy has shown me that things are less important than my relationship with her and the children. Katy has shown me how to serve my family by serving me and the kids over the years. Katy has done without fancy clothes and new things that others take for granted to make sure our kids have the basics. Katy worships the ground our children walk on and would do anything to help them to have a better life. Katy has shown herself to be a godly woman who is a virtuous woman. Katy is a lady with a lot of class and dignity.

I am proud that despite the grief and depression in the last 7 years that she has attempted to pursue her dreams of being a certified teacher. Despite the obstacles that others have placed in her path she has been plodding along and doing the things she needs to do to gain this goal in her career. Katy experienced a setback in the last two years because she wound up in the wrong work environment with the wrong people and allowed someone to tell her that she was not worthy of teaching. That was devastating to Katy but she managed to get beyond that and is now again pursuing her teacher certification. I am proud to say that she is going to spend the next two years pursuing her Master's degree and teacher's certification though Phoenix Online University. Katy was academically and financially cleared to get registered and will be starting within the next seven days on her first courses.

Thank you for all that you do my gizmo. Life would not be worth living without you in it. You have added quality and quantity to my life and I know that you are a gift from God and I cherish you more than all the money in the world or what it offers.