Dear David

Dear David,

Happy Anniversary my sweet, incredible, loving, handsome, husband.  I struggle to put words to how much I love you.  You will never know how much you have shown me what love is and how to do it well.  Its crazy to think that 15 years ago we would be celebrating today our 11th anniversary.

Our story is so cool.  We raised 3 beautiful girls and are now God has us raising another 3 kids together.  I listen to our girls talk about you.  I have listened to them talk about how much they love you and how they want a husband just like you.  You came into our lives when we needed you most.  You have been a daddy to all our kids that most kids wish for.  Your special relationship with each of them is so precious for me to watch.  You had missed so many years of our older girls life but you spent everyday asking questions and learning about them.   Today it is as if your were there from the beginning.  I can remember the day that they called you daddy for the first time.  I could see in your eyes how much your heart grew.  They love you so much.

I had not known the Lord that long and was longing to know him more and you helped me.  Your love for him, that you had known for a lifetime, made me want to know Him more.

Many people knew you.  They knew this quiet man who spoke very little words and yet had a servant heart like know one they knew.  You have always been so loyal to all your friends.  You have always lived a life of your yes meaning yes and your no meaning no.  Everyone knows if you say your going to do something you will die trying to make it happen.

It amazing to me that a man who has seen and experienced in his life so much pain can turn that around and give so much love.  You speak very few word in public because you hear very few of them correctly, which has hindered how you say words.  If only every person knew what I knew.  If only they got to hear you speak more openly about your love for the Church, your family, and your God they would know why I love you so much.

We are the couple that many would never expect to be together.  This extrovert who sticks her foot in her mouth much more then most people.  She had just meet the Lord and was raising 3 young kiddos all on her own.   She meets this sexy volleyball playing, children's volunteer who was passionate about life and had know the Lord all of his, introvert.  We had our own plans for our life but praise God He had another plan.

Many saw what we did not see.  We were so happy to just be the best of friends.  I'm so thankful to Curtis and Jennifer for providing a safe place that we could just come and be ourselves.  I loved bible study and hanging out at their house like no place we have ever found sense.  Our love grew for each other there because they loved us and showed God to us like no one, or no one place I had been before.  Wow writing about them makes me miss them even more than I do regularly.
I am so thankful for those days.  Or as Curtis would say, my BD(before David).  Lets not forget me and Jennifer praying in our small group for a good wife for you!!!  Boy did God answer big for you......  :)

David as I sit down and reflect on our life I am truly amaze.  Not about you, not about our marriage while both of those are amazing.  I am truly blessed at how God took this broken momma of 3 and turned my life around.  He took ashes and turned them into this beautiful story, our story, His story.  I was a women seeking and He came to my rescue.  He showed me that while I believed I was unloveable that was a lie from the pit of Hell.  He rocked my world and continues to do so today.

I am in AWE of our great God.  After he showed me Him, He showed me you.  I had never in my life known what unconditional love was.  Not even by my mother or father.  I was looking to my God and expecting only what I had been modeled.  He had a new way for me to relate to love.

He would tell me everyday that His love was forever and that He was not the God I had pictured.   That He was not just waiting to reprove me when I messed up.  I believe that he sent me you to show me more of Him.  To show me just a glimpse of how much He loves me.
 
I have never been loved so much by a person.  You love me for who I am.  You have never raised your voice at me, you have never talked to me in a tone that was not loving.  God knew what I needed and He gave me you.

I love you so much David Leon Livingston.  I am so glad that I get to live this life with you.  Thank you for loving me and always excepting me, warts and all.  Thank you for gentle talking to me when I mess up.  Thank you for loving my kids like a daddy would.  Thank you for being the head of our house and leading us like Christ leads his Bride.  Thank you for putting up with me, that is 2 full time jobs.

So today on our 11 anniversary I want to tell you how much I respect and love you.  I hope that you know how much you mean to me.

Love always and forever,
Your blushing Bride
Me