Just Letting It Be

I have loved Kevin for as long as I can remember. I know people talk about falling in love and falling out of love and everything, but I don't think I know what that means. I don't remember an instant when it smacked me over the head and I was helpless to his charms or anything...and so I don't believe in the possibility that I could wake up one day and find that my feelings from the last 20 years of my life have vanished, either. I realize it all started out as 13-year-old girl's crush, but eventually I stopped focusing on the cute boy on the basketball court and began to consider the man he would become. I started thinking about what kind of husband he might be someday, and what kind of father he could be. I knew he would teach them to fish when they were old enough. I imagined he would teach them to shoot, both guns and basketballs. I was right about all of that. He also teaches them about animals and gardening and building things. He manages to teach them about responsibility and fun all at once. You can choose a person to be with for the rest of your life, and you can think you know they will be a good dad, but really, you have to hope they pan out as a parent. I mean, how can you really know for sure until those babies come along?

In honor of Father's Day, I can honestly tell you now...he is pretty great at it. Maybe he could have changed more diapers. Maybe he could have elected not to teach Jaron to ride his bike with no hands. Nobody is perfect. When our kids bring their broken bikes to him, he fixes them. When he is leaving, and they want to go with him, he takes them. When they cry, he comforts them. When they want to snuggle with him to fall asleep, he lets them. He praises and encourages, and when it works out he is always proud of their accomplishments. I think he has all the important stuff down. I'm just saying, I think love worked out for me. Not falling in it or out of it. Just letting it be.