Thursday, December 8, 2011

Dear Jaime

Dear Jaime (because I know you like it in public)

I love parenting with you. I love going through hard things with you. I don't love going through hard things but I love knowing that you and I will do it together. Your hard things, my hard things, our family's hard things. I love how you take care. You love Simon, taking such good care around him, of him. I love that you take care of me when I need it- like last night with a migraine. You take care of yourself, rising at ungraceful hours to get yourself to heart pumping places, sometimes at the gym but sometimes with our dog, pulling her up and down steps (we have the only dog that does the stair master) outside in the receding dark of morning. I love that you love to cook and we all benefit from recipes researched and replicated. I love it all.

Really.

I love it all.

Even the inevitable Saturday kerfuffle that we have, because we're both trying to quickly manage the distinct rhythm change that the weekend brings. I love the whirlwind changes that the house goes through as you hit new levels of frustration and acceptance around clutter, furniture placement, leftover foods in the fridge, small toy parts to step on, and lack of alone time.

I love the tasty bits and I love the bitter bits because it means that we are complete. We have everything we need to build a spectacular and extra-ordinary family together.  Every piece of it another thread that gets added to the chord. I see it as one of those super heavy mega thick twine ropes that are used to anchor the big ships in place. They are as thick as I am (and I love that you love that too) and I don't mean dumb because you know Smith is still ranked higher than Mt Holyoke- sorry just had to get that in...

 I mean like this

Where you can see each individual thread and how they join and group together to make this amazingly strong multifaceted unit. That's us (and that's the largest rope in the world btw).

 That's you and me and Simon and all the other people and experiences that have made up this time and place for this family, this Fitch-Jenett experience. Like the Jimi Hendrix experience only with a whole different category of drugs and crazy bad and good 'trips'.

But I digress.

This is about how I love you; How thankful I am for you. How I bless Kris Woolery over and over again for making me come out that New Year's eve 2001 and then dragging me along to Harbin Hot Springs the next day, starting 2002 off naked in hot tubs with my future best friends and wife.
I love you for getting dressed to the 9's every morning for work. I love you for emptying the dishwasher. I love you for wanting to go on date nights with me, sometimes double dating with friends, sometimes just the two of us, alone in a movie theater watching Bella give birth (blech).

I love that we are far from perfect. We were at one point I think, for a brief but sweet period of time in-between living 3000 miles apart and head injuries and delightful but high maintenance dogs and kids. We had that time. I think we'll have it again...in a few decades.

 Still, I love this time. Because I get to be with you. You, my partner. The love of my life, the redhead of my dreams, the Mama to my Mommy. Together we got Simon, the perfect boy. Yes, he's great and all (see the last few hundred blog entries) but I want to make sure that you know, that I know, that I have the best partner in all of this and that I love you and me together...as adults....with adult time (whenever we can get it)...

I love you Jaime.




5 comments:

Stephanie Trauner said...

Wow. This brought tears to my eyes. What a beautiful message. You two are amazing and loving and kind. So lucky to have each other.

Sue said...

You 2 are an inspiration. So glad to be in community with you!

Sue

andreana clay said...

holy wow! that's super sweet. such love. here's to ten years of knowing you both!

sarah said...

This is one of the most moving love letters I have ever read. We should all be so lucky to find what you have found, and continue to find, in one another. Mazel tov meod and many blessings on you and your family and friends--and, much love. Even though it sounds like y'all got plenty, already. :)

Jen said...

Oh get a room. (:
What I love about this letter is that I can take it for granted that you two love each other this much. Sweetness and humor and good job Laura, in finding dear Jaime (see wedding toast). Love you both.