How do I tell him?

A long, long time ago, in a far away land, a princess had a chance meeting with a boy. He was handsome and charming. They sat and talked about life and what they wanted from it. Then it began to rain, and the princess knew she must leave. Later, after the wet clothes were long gone and the rain had all but soaked the countryside, the princess thought often of the young man, his face, his voice and his dreams. Little did she know she was as much a part of his future as he was of hers...

OK, so it was not that long ago...about 6 years and, well, not a prince and princess, per se, but me and the Captain...and not a far away land, necessarily, but 3 hours south of home...and not a chance meeting, we were staying with friends, and actually, went down together...but the rest of it is true...

So the summer we went on the mission trip to Bulgaria (and yes for whoever asked, it was Sofia) we went on a weekend trip to a friends house...about 10 of us. One evening, I was swimming in the pool, trying to persuade the Captain to join me, but he has this thing about swimming in pools, well a thing about swim wear actually, which I still do not understand...I digress. Anyhoo...we were chatting and talking about life...as you might recall from an earlier post, I had just broken up with a very serious, long time boyfriend...so I was rather intrigued with where God and my life would take me...because it, life, had changed so dramatically in such a short period of time. During the course of our musings, the Captain said something that I have recalled many a time over the last few years. I am sure of all the things the Captain has said to me, many of which he would be delighted if I could but conjure up at the appropriate occasion, this is not one he might remember...but I do. I think because I had never heard anyone say it. Most people, when talking about life, want something fantastic, they want fortune, or fame or, well, something extraordinary. But the Captain told me, when he thinks about what he wants for his life, he wants to "be an average Joe". He went on to explain that he did not want fortune or fame, but what he wanted was a close relationship with Christ. A solid marriage, to be a good dad to his kids and a loyal friend...to work a steady job, pay all his bills on time and "not stand out".

Since that conversation, I have fallen in love and married the Captain. And I have replayed that conversation in my head multiple times since.

The first time I really screwed up after we were married, and he immediately forgave me...and I thought... How do I tell him?

All the times he sent me flowers to work for no reason at all...and made all the other women green with envy...how do I tell him?

When he let me buy a dress just because " it called to me" even though he had to sacrifice something he might have "needed"...how do I tell him?

When I told him he was going to be a daddy for the first time and he raised a triumphant fist in the air...how do I tell him?

When he loved and kissed on his baby girl...how do I tell him?

When she died, all too soon...and he cried, and yet, was still a rock for me...how do I tell him?

When we got pregnant again and he smiled and cried at the good news...How do I tell him?

When he was told he had a brain tumor, and when asked if he was scared, his response was, only for me and what I was going to have to go through...how do I tell him?

When he had to work really hard to recover from surgery, and he never complained...how do I tell him?

When he held his son for the first time and thanked Jesus for a healthy baby boy...how do I tell him?

When he sits alone every morning with his coffee and his bible...how do I tell him?

When he comes home from work every day, tired, and still does the dishes or mows the lawn...how do I tell him?

How do I tell him that he left average in the dust a long time ago...