To my wife, on her 23rd birthday

Lee Anne,

Today marks 23 years of the amazing, remarkable story that is your life. You have lived through more adventure, heartbreak and growth than anyone I have ever known. Sometimes I think about the way Jesus has saved you from yourself over and again and it makes me realize that He is so good to me, to give me such a wonderful wife – headstrong, ambitious and at the same time so compassionate. Your heart and compassion have scared me at times, when I think of what may have happened the time you stepped between those two angry guys at Nomsa or that you almost adopted a little boy before we even got married.

Of course, then it occurs to me that the adventure I have been looking for my whole life (my favourite films including Hook and now, How to Train A Dragon) has been captured in a person.

You are my greatest adventure.

Even if I will never fly using a happy thought or a fire breathing dragon, I will never lack for adventure and that sense that life has more to offer than droning on without purpose. In everything you do Jesus shows Himself to be so good. This is where I put something cliché like “You’re not perfect, but….” except you actually know you’re not perfect and that’s something I really do like about you. When all the confidence you have for the ministry or work you are doing fades it’s so beautiful to see how aware you are of your own brokenness.

Baby. We are having a baby. Two really broken, selfish people are bringing a person into the world. And I couldn’t imagine wanting to become a family with anyone else. Everything we talk about, the sweet times and the heated discussions, makes me know that you are the woman I want when life (and Jesus) throws unexpected things our way. We’re having a baby!!!

Lee Anne, you are the beautiful princess I have been searching for since my first crush at 5 years old. I almost missed the chance to know you but in His amazing grace Jesus brought me safely home to the closest thing to heaven I will know this side of death.

Lee Anne, thank you for all the heart work you have put into helping break me down then build me up again to become the kind of man a woman like you would want to marry. For one of the first times in my life I can really look in the mirror and be excited by the person I see and the man I have grown to be.

Lee Anne, this is just the first [married] birthday I have to practice being great at the gifting, letter writing, etc so take notes for what I can improve upon for next year. 😀

Lee Anne, I love you with all of His love and the rest of my life.

Happy Birthday.

John