A thread about love and devotion: We’re celebrating (?) tonight as we emphatically kick 2020 to the curb. But I’ll be turning all my attention today to the greatest gift that ever came my way - my wife. Some of you know her. I wish all of you could.
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Tonight I’m celebrating HER BIRTHDAY. She became my very best friend nearly 30 years ago. Sparing the details, we were married to other people in between, but never left each other’s sides. How could I? All I ever needed was fulfilled in just this friendship alone. 2/

But as a partner since ‘04, I’ve come to love and appreciate her so much more deeply. She guides me when I need it and redirects my bullshit with love, never judgement. And when I need space, it isn’t questioned. We laugh together each day. And often dance for no reason. 3/

She’s a hero to our children, for her willingness to teach with wisdom, not anger. Sure, she snaps every once in a while. But that’s when her humanity shines brightest. She knows it’s not how she wants to lead. The anger never lasts. Her ability to move forward is astonishing. 4/

In what’s been the most difficult year we’ve ever lived through, she’s inspired me more each day. She took on a massive professional challenge with confidence, working to help stabilize an entire community’s worth of worries. 5/

And her complaints never last, because she’s needed. It’s a sense of responsibility I respect so deeply. That’s the nature of her being. If you need from her, she’ll find a way to provide - on occasion, at a personal cost. But never with a grudge or an axe to grind. 6/

Her need to always learn shone through so brilliantly this year. She doesn’t just empathize. She wants to understand the history and nature of human struggles. And she shares that knowledge with our boys to better equip them with a sense of humanity they’ll carry always. 7/

And, holy shit, she’s funny. Sometimes with a punchline. Sometimes with quirks. In a house full of clowns, she still finds a way to land the laughs daily. It’s an understated element of her charm. Maybe it’s occasionally overlooked because the rest is always so obvious. 8/

I can’t really repay all she’s given to us. I couldn’t possibly. It’s immeasurable. But I vowed years ago to be all she deserves. And while I’m sure I’ve come up short to some degree, that’s her fault. She deserves so much. So all I can do is keep trying. And I will forever. 9/

She told me so many years ago of her belief that we’re fated. That we’re connected from lives past. I hope she’s right, because I don’t want to live the next one without her. I love you forever and onward, baby. Happy birthday mluv.