Unsung Hero

I rarely write about my husband - for several reasons. Blogs are used mostly as a catharsis - a way to bleed out positive or negative emotions and process them. While I have no problem letting out my feeling for the world to see, I guard my relationship with my husband very closely. I love him very much and I do not want to say something that would embarrass him or make him feel uncomfortable. And if I am angry at him I choose to speak to him about it. I am not one for venting to friends about my husband or man bashing.

Jeff is not a flashy guy, he is extremely unpretentious. He sometimes (well frequently) says the wrong thing and can be as romantic as a bag of rocks. Like most truly great men, he is substance over style. He is the quiet, humble workhorse that keeps moving forward even when he wants to sit in the sand. And he loves me - I mean he really, really loves me no matter what. Even when I act like a crazy bitch, even when I say mean things, even when I whine and pout.

And he gets very little credit for the unwavering support he provides our family, the continual effort to improve our lives, and the patience he shows all of us. The last five years he has worked so hard to graduate from college - I cried watching him walk across the stage today. I am just so proud of him. He had to make so many sacrifices and he has had to miss so much the last few years to get his degree. During the five years that he has been in school, I have had five surgeries. So in addition to working full-time and going to school full time, he also had to be essentially a single parent for the 12 months of recovery that those 5 surgeries required.

He is the unsung hero - his effort often going unnoticed or even taken for granted. But without him our family would grind to a halt.