Day 12

I am thankful for Daniel. I know I mentioned him at the beginning of the month, but he deservers much more than a mere mention.

There are a lot of things about Dan that I am thankful for. Shall I list them all? Well, not if we want to be here all night, but I do want to mention a few.

Dan is driven, but not obsessive. He doesn't have to be in a hurry to get things done, or to be under pressure to be productive. He is calm and generally quiet.  Contrast that with my approach to things and you'd wonder how we made everything work out. But his approach has a calming effect to my abruptness.

I love to watch him with our children. He is very gentle with them, a good listener, and treats them like big kids. Abe thinks he is as big as Dan, at the moment he calls him by name and not dad.

Small things make Dan happy. Playing a hymn on the piano, a scribble from Abe, a note from Mary, finding almonds in the freezer or floss in the medicine cabinet. We have a short in our bathroom light, you never know if it will turn on or not when you flip the switch, 9 out of 10 times nothing happens. Dan walked out of the bathroom a few weeks ago and said, "You know, we shouldn't get that light fixed. It makes me happy when it switches on. It is something to remind me to be thankful."
Things like that make me melt. I think wow, how did I catch that guy? Dan would say I'm being self-deprecating, but these are moments when I remember all the reasons I fell in love with him and am so thankful. And isn't that what this post is about?

I am thankful that Dan has perspective. He is willing to work hard, play hard, and serve others. He hardly has time for himself. In fact, a few months ago he began working out during his lunch break because his time everywhere else was called for. It takes a lot of effort to juggle his obligations and schedule and he does a great job. And none of us- I, the children, or the dog- feel like we are second in line.

I am thankful that he is my best friend and ally. God, thank you for Dan.