Where do I begin?
You are my life partner, my one and only love, the man with whom I - we - have created our amazing family.
Most of the time I recognize that I have been a good mother. Motherhood for me has seemed a kind of calling; the one thing I knew I could do and do well and enjoy more than any endeavor I have ever undertaken.
But without you, my love, I could not have been the good mother I have been.
You have supported me without fail, always ready to help or take over, regardless of how tired you might be after a long day in the field or exhausted from weeks of traveling.
One regret I have (though not the only one) is that I didn’t adequately show you what a wonderful father and life mate you are. All those years of sharing the feedings, bathing the babies and children, taking over when you got home, reading, storytelling, holding, laughing, loving our children without fail, all those things you did from your never ending well of love for our children and for me, enabled me to be the kind of mother I was.
I’ll always treasure the thrill you had with each new baby, the care you gave me, the love that poured from your heart onto our family, no matter the difficulties we were going through.
Life didn’t turn out quite how either one of us had planned, but because of the strength of the love we have for each other, we were able to pull together to get our children the help they needed.
And no matter what, we always shared laughter - lots of laughter.
Every single one of our children is a shining example of what love can create; they are caring, giving, wonderful human beings, and for that you get at least 50% of the credit.
I know we have had rough times in our marriage and our lives, but you have always provided a rock solid groundwork of stability, support, and love, that helped to foster the growth of our children through their mental and physical illnesses.
Heck, you even supported me through the angry outbursts I often directed at you before I got help for my own anxiety and depression.
You are an incredible person, my love.
I cannot find the words to adequately describe the depth of the love your children and I have for you. We appreciate you, we love you unceasingly, and we honor you for the wonderful man and fantastic father you are.
So, on this Mother’s Day, I want to thank you from the depth of my being for loving me and our children. I want to honor you for the incredible father you are.
