It was 9:45 pm, and I was in the kitchen, mixing spices for the brine my pork loin needed to soak in overnight. I had used the very last of the salt, and climbed up on a chair to look higher in the cabinet for the other spices I needed (yep, short people never get to stop climbing to reach stuff). I found everything, and then began to step off the chair. Before I knew what happened, my entire container of spices was pummeled to the floor, spilling little grains of flavor in every nook of the kitchen. Michael stood in the doorway, and as I yelled “Nooooo!” like some over-dramatic actress, he was already on the way out the door to buy me some more salt.
Most of my blog posts are spent gushing over Kaya, and while she is more than gush-worthy… I think my husband deserves some recognition, too.
He works from nearly the moment he wakes up in the morning all the way until bedtime. Sure, he enjoys software development and being a nerd (which is a term of endearment in our home), but he does it for Kaya and me. He gives everything he’s got and then some when it comes to providing for our family.
He never complains about cuddling with me at night, even though he would rather be happily asleep on his stomach and have more space than the one-third of the bed I leave for him. (Yes… I’m the bed-hogger. But he’s the blanket-stealer!)
When I came in late from my morning run last week, guilt consumed me because I knew it was my fault Michael had missed the bus. He didn’t point fingers or blame me.
Kaya had more wake-ups than usual one night last week, and when she was ready to start her day at the extra-early hour of 5 am, I just couldn’t pry my tired body out of bed. Michael got up with her so that I could sleep for just a bit longer.
He’s been taking care of our vacationing friends’ dog every morning and night just so that I don’t have to stress out about how to get that done around Kaya’s nap/bedtime schedule.
And Michael always encourages me to use my talents. Whether it’s photography, baking, cake-decorating, sewing, playing music or writing, he always compliments me and pushes me to keep trying.
This year, our stake president asked us to make a “love jar”. The whole point of the jar is to recognize and write acts of service that you observe others doing. I’ve found that as I write down the selfless things Michael does, I start to notice even more things he does that I might have otherwise missed. And with each act of service, my love and appreciation for him grows more and more.