Anniversary Gift

This past Sunday was my seventh wedding anniversary. My dear hubby and I will be taking a trip to Oklahoma at the end of this month (kid-free!) to celebrate and to visit my sis. Our actualy anniversary, March 11 , fell on a Sunday, and we had no plans to do anything in particular (we did go out the night before for a nice dinner while my Mom watched the kiddos - thanks Mom!) So, imagine my shock when my dear hubby surprised me with a beautiful and priceless anniversary gift. It was the gift of.....laughter. Now, to tell you why this gift meant so much to me the morning of our anniversary, we have to back up to oh...around 9:00 a.m. I had left the house early and dropped the bulletins (we had folded and stuffed them the night before) off at the church for their weekly Sunday service use. I had to get them there before first service started. The plan was for me to drop the bulletins off and then return home in time to pick-up Brian and the girls for our attendance at second service. Everything ran according to plan, right up until I pulled into the driveway at our house. Bri has often teased me about parking the car in the driveway SO close to the house and garage, but I've never thought anything of it. After all, it's not like I've ever hit the house....until now. In my defense, let me say that it was purely an accident, and as I pulled in, my foot slipped off the brake. Even as I heard the "thunk" I knew that I probably didn't want to see the damage. A sucker for punishment though, I immediately looked. I'll post a picture of the hole tomorrow for the world to see, but let me say that my immediate reaction was one of dread and panic. Crumbled stucco and chicken wire stood out at odd angles around a fist-sized hole. I meekly crept into the house and told Brian what happened. He threw back his head and........laughed. He lauged and laughed and laughed. He held me and told me it was OK, that it was just stucco, and then proceeded to tease me mercilessly the rest of the morning. My amazing hubby, whose reaction could have been one of anger or frustration, instead chose to give me grace. It made me think of all the times over the past seven years that he has given me mercy, grace, and laughter as gifts in our marriage. Brian's ability to see the lighter side of life has helped us through many a "bump" (or in this case hole) in our marriage. My dear, sweet, amazing hubby I love you more and more with each passing year. You are without a doubt my favorite, my soulmate, my warrior. Thanks for being you. Thank you for one of the best anniversary gifts I have ever received - I have a feeling I'll remember this one forever! :)