”...Please don’t tell me to leave you and return home! I will go where you go, I will live where you live; your people will be my people, your God my God. I will die where you die and be buried beside you. May the Lord punish me if we are separated, even by death!” ~Ruth 1 16-17

My Sweet Will~

As I sit down to write you this morning I face the same problem I always do: I have a million things that I want to say and they are all jumbled inside and I’m not really sure where to start! I thought I would devote my post to you today- to tell the “world” how important you are to me. I’ll give it my best and we’ll see where we end up.

Today is one of my favorite days of the year. Today 25 years ago the most special miracle happened to me. Of course, I wasn’t even a thought back then, only God knew me. He knew He was beginning the masterpiece “Will” that would take 22 years to perfect, and then He would hand him over to me to have the awesome honor of being able to love all the days of my life. Today, in 1980, your sweet mother gave birth to her beautiful baby boy, Will. What a special day for not only your family, but mine as well. I am so thankful for your awesome family and the godly way they raised you. You were such a precious child and I wish I was able to have known you way back then so I wouldn’t have missed anything and I would have been able to watch you grow and become the man I love.

God has blessed me far beyond what I deserve by giving you to me. I look at you as you just fall asleep and start to breathe deeper and think, “Thank you God for the blessing of Will.” You are far beyond what I deserve, and I know I surely got the better end of the deal.

Do you remember the first birthday I got to spend with you? It was the big 23. I got you your favorite Playstation game, and then you got your Playstation 2. If only I would have known how that game would dictate your life! I would have banned it! Ha Ha, just kidding. It was such a fun day and I felt honored that I got to celebrate July 27, because before then it was just another day with no significance.

Do you remember your first married birthday? We got the greatest news ever! We were OU season ticket holders! What a wonderful birthday present for the biggest OU fan ever. And then we got to go to dinner and have cake twice- once at your parent’s and then at mine! That was my favorite birthday thus far. I got to go home with my husband that year, no more saying goodbye at night. That was so amazing.

I know this birthday is so different than any of the others you’ve ever had. I am so glad that once again I get to be here for it. I am so blessed to get to celebrate the “quarter-century” mark with the man that still takes my breath away. It’s like that goofy Vitamin C song you like and were talking about the other day. I’m know you never pictured being married and living in Kuwait when you turned 25. Yet another one of life’s unexpected turns.

You are my family and I am yours. I am so glad that we get to spend this day, celebrating you, in a new world- both physically and emotionally. “My verses” seem to take on a whole new meaning now, don’t they? They are so literal right now, but I wouldn’t change anything at all. I know yesterday we wondered just what we were doing and if it was worth staying without me having a job. No matter what we decide, those verses still ring true. Whether staying or leaving, I am following you all the days of my life and will be content wherever that road takes us because no one could ever love me like you. It is the most amazing feeling to open the door each evening and see your sweet face as I give you a tight hug and smell the faded remnants of your cologne. No matter what door I open at night- whether here or there- I just want you to be on the other side.I don’t care where we are.

I so wanted you to have something great to open today and my heart hurts and I tear up thinking I didn’t really get you anything. I mean- I know we got your 2 cards and video game- those are super-important gifts, but I wanted you to have something to unwrap today. I know that’s more of a girl thing, but I just want to give you everything I have. That is important to me.

The greatest thing I give you today, and each day is my whole heart that is striving to be the greatest fan of your life. I am learning each day to be the wife God needs me to be and I want so badly to take care of you as good as you take care of me.

Today we add yet another day of “making memories of us,” which was totally different than I ever would have thought! When I met that beautiful “guy” at Cameron University’s PE1001 Ballroom Dancing class, I never thought making memories of us would mean living in a world that is not our own, but it is- and that is okay because we have eachother.

Here is to your 25 years plus 25 more! Today is going to be different than all others- but just as special. I love you, sweet Will.

Today- and every other day I celebrate you.

Happy Birthday.

Love, Britter