27 Things I Love About Being Married to Big Guy

In honor of our 27^th wedding anniversary. I’d like to share 27 things that I love about being married to Big Guy.

1. It is important to Big Guy to be a gentleman, opening doors for me and helping me with my coat. He also likes to allow me to enter a room first. When I have a bout of social anxiety and tell him I need him to lead the way, he does. Despite his strong preference to allow me to enter a room first, when I need him to, he holds my hand and leads the way.
2. He cares what I think of him. My opinion of him matters.
3. He enjoys cooking. Since I work from home, it’s usually easier for me to take care of dinner—but when I have a full day or just need a break, he handles dinner.
4. He gave me the best in-laws I could have. His parents welcomed me into the family whole-heartedly. I hope to be half as good a mother-in-law as the one I was privileged to have.
5. I get to see a man of integrity. He has strong values, and he tries hard to abide by those values.
6. Big Guy has never asked me to be anything other than who I am. Although I have enough insecurity to feel like I’m not enough of one thing or I’m not like everyone else, he has always accepted exactly who I am, even as he challenges me to grow and be better. He tolerates my quirks and never makes me feel weird about them.
7. He never hesitates to hold my hand or show physical affection. In fact, my favorite picture of us shows him reaching out to me when he wasn’t even aware that he did so. (He was in the hospital. I had my feet on his bed, and he was talking to a nurse.)
8. He is most sexually fulfilled when I am, too. Menopause has done a real number on my sexual response. He has been patient, flexible, persistent, and comforting throughout this process.
9. He is proud to be my husband.
10. He is steadfast. In the face of my emotions, he is a rock. He is dependable, loyal, trustworthy, and solid. God knew I needed that to help me stay grounded.
11. Big Guy loves the Minions. I don’t like them at all—but I love to watch Big Guy watch them. I get a glimpse of the pure joy he had as a little boy. I love that I sometimes get to see the child at the heart of my man.
12. He takes pride in my accomplishments. Even if things aren’t going so well for him, he has always been happy for me and proud when I’ve experienced recognition in my professional or personal life.
13. He thanks me for doing his laundry. He knows that I like to be appreciated and that words matter—so he gives that to me.
14. He calls me when he is heading home from work to let me know he’s on the way. If he gets stuck in traffic, he calls to tell me he’s okay because he knows I would worry.
15. He tries hard to be a good husband. The fact that it matters to him touches my heart and shows me what a good man he is.
16. He trusts me—and when I make mistakes, he forgives me and keeps loving me anyway.
17. He makes me laugh. On my own, I can be far too serious. He makes sure I laugh.
18. He gets me. He understands my sense of humor, he knows what is likely to make me emotional, and he knows my favorite flavors.
19. He stretches me. I’m content to stay inside my comfort zone. He encourages me to do things I wouldn’t think of doing, and he helps me feel safe enough to take those risks.
20. I love the hair on his arms.
21. We are so different from each other in so many ways. While this has brought some challenges, being married to Big Guy has forced me to face some of my own prejudices and has made me do better at thinking about other people’s points of view. I am more compassionate because of my marriage to him.
22. His hugs comfort, support, encourage, and fully embrace me. I always feel safe and secure when he holds me.
23. He programs the coffee maker every night. When I get up in the morning, there is always hot coffee ready to go.
24. One of my favorite things every day is the moment he walks in the door at the end of the day. I put down what I’m working on. He puts down his lunch box and coffee thermos. We wrap our arms around each other, and everything feels right again, right there in the middle of the kitchen.
25. Throughout the years I avoided and resisted sex, despite his personal feelings of rejection, he continued to love me. When I repented, he offered his forgiveness without hesitation. He has modeled Christ’s love to me and has strengthened my faith in God as well as my love for my husband.
26. He loves me more today than he did the day we married—and he said so in his Facebook post this morning.
27. He is my biggest champion. He knows that this blog is my response to God’s calling in my life, and he supports me in so many ways.

Happy anniversary, Big Guy!

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I've moved! While you can peruse the archives here, I am no longer posting at The Forgiven Wife.

Please join me at Honeycomb & Spice.

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  Ladies, if you're interested in joining me for a study of Juli Slattery's new book God, Sex, and Your Marriage, time is running out! Our study begins with introductions on February 26, 2023, but the study will be open to join until March 5.