I am delirious as I write this right now, so we’ll see how this ends up.
Jen is my wife. She is also my best friend. And even on top of that she is an excellent mother to our little girl Maisie. I could literally talk about Jen for hours. I have lots of favorite things about her. I love her laugh. I love her honesty. I love watching her become who God has made her to be. I love that she is emotional and vibrant.
And speaking of emotional…the last few years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, seconds…have been emotional for us. Just 4 years ago, we were well on our way to being happily ever after. We both had good jobs. We had a brand new house. Our house was decorated by an interior designer…a friend who did it for free, but it was still one of those houses that was too put together. We had a nice car. We were talking about starting to have kids. But then things changed. We sold the house. Quit the jobs. Moved to Europe and life took a different path. And life will never be the same again!
But back to the stuff about Jen…Since going to Europe Jen has really grown. It’s weird because being in Paris was not easy for us. Yet, we grew in some significant ways…especially her. Right before my eyes she’s learning more and more who she is. For one, there isn’t even a shadow of a co-dependent person who only does what everybody else says is right. To be honest, it was a lot easier when Jen would just ‘go with the flow’, but in the end I think that she was betraying herself by acting like that.
We’ve been married for six and a half years now. We’ve been a couple for almost 9 years. That’s almost a decade. The girl I married is now a strong woman who is ‘heaven-bent’ on being true to herself and who God has made her to be. And dog-on-it…it’s inspiring. A lot of times people don’t know what to do with Jen. Her freedom and willingness to not be status-quo is offsetting to some. Her unwillingness to toe the line frustrates people who want her to be in a box…that includes me sometimes.
Here is another one of my favorites…yes plural. She is incredibly wise and discerning. She has an ability to read people that I am amazed by. One of my greatest desires is to see Jen be more utilized ‘in ministry’. Whatever that means. The truth behind my own growth and maturing (pause to bask in my own light) is that Jen has been the single most influential person who has helped me grow up, make right choices, be less selfish, and love other people. She taught me about self-awareness before I had even heard of the word.
I guess the main reason that I am writing all of this is because Jen has been a funk the last few days. I so often talk about myself and what I am going through in an attempt to be therapeutic, but I also lead a family that I need to encourage and love. Writing all of this stuff about my wife on the world wide web is a simple way to shout to the world that I am madly in love with her and think the world of her. She is one the best people I know and I want to be like her when I grow up. I feel like anyone who misses the chance to hear from, be told what’s up by, and laugh with Jen has missed out. That’s all I want to say about Jen right now…You can check out her much-more-entertaining blog here.
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