A collage! A beautiful collage of my life from the day I was born until today. That’s what hubby has been so secretive about for my birthday.
Together with my mom, brother, nephew and his fiancé, they put together a massive unframed beautifully printed collage made up of pictures shaped like puzzle pieces of me at various ages. Included in this were the badges from the schools and colleges I’ve attended, birth and marriage certificate.
It was so unexpected that I cried and wondered what I’d done to deserve such a wonderful gesture from so many loving people.
Hubby tells me he’s been working on this for months and it has been difficult to keep it secret for my birthday yesterday...after all 50 is a big milestone.
This is a far cry from the first present he ever gave me. Our first Christmas together and I’d scoured the jewellery shops for a specific watch that I’d had in mind for him. I was so proud of the gift and what did I get in return? A slow cooker…imagine a 23 year old getting a slow cooker. I was appalled.
Hehe...these days I do believe he was trying to tell me something.
‘But it’s a practical gift and you need one,’ he mumbled. Huh? Since when…I didn’t even cook…didn’t have a clue how to boil an egg, did I?
Needless to say after that disastrous start and a massive sulk on my part, he’s never made the same mistake again.
I’ve often wondered where he came from. In the beginning when I first started on my journey I’d heard that you attract everything into your life and it made me question what I’d done in my life to have him land in my lap. I still do.
I’m not exactly a romantic myself…but he loves it, despite his grizzly demeanour…underneath that hard façade is a mushy heart of gold. I often find small chocolates or roses on my pillow...notes stuffed into my bag, diary or into my purse, or get text messages that make me blush.
I asked him last night why he treats me so differently from everyone else…a question I’ve asked him over the years…this time he gave me a different answer. I am consistently his calm port in the stormy seas of life.
He makes me tap into my heart big time. He also wrote a poem for me…admittedly he ‘borrowed’ bits and pieces from other writings, but even so…
I do so love him and am grateful for each day we spend together.
Next week on Valentine’s Day is our 25th anniversary. 25 years of hell and happiness…I wouldn’t swap it, him or my life for anything.
A very steep and strong learning curve on how to love and be loved.
2 comments:
Oh that is lovely, Karen :) What a gift of love. People really appreciate these kind of gifts, don't they. A friend of mine's husband gave her a set of saucepans for her birthday recently and was greeted with a major sulk!!
:-) Yeah...can imagine the sulk, having been there myself.
xxx
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