Happy Birthday to My Beautiful Bride, Katherine!

On this day, 26 years ago, God brought my beautiful wife into this world and I am so very thankful for that fact! I am not sure why I am as fortunate as I am...but God has blessed me inexplicably for my whole life and I am certain that my Katherine is the shining example of just how blessed I am!

Some people say that we seek out partners in life that remind us of our mothers or fathers. Just a few years ago I would likely say that this was not the case as my Mother and Father...as well as my young Bride, are very unique and different individuals. But over the past years of struggle that Katherine and I have gone through as a newly married couple, as parents, and now with our 2nd deployment...I have come to recognize that she surely possesses some of the very same traits of strength and love that I find so abundant in my own parents. It is amazing to me to see how much our love for one another has grown and how much stronger our bond has become. I can say that this is no coincidence but consequently...a direct result of the strengthening of each of our individual relationships with Christ. As we have come to depend more on God for strength and love...we have come to love each other more. It is reassuring to recognize this fact in our lives and it is motivating for me to continue to cultivate that relationship with God and Katherine as well.

I only wish that I could share in the celebration of her birthday with her and our babies at home. But I am so grateful that she is so capable of managing things for our family without me. Very few women possess the balance of fortitude and grace to maintain a compasionate sensibility as well as a stoic posture all while raising two babies and caring for a home and pets, primarily on their own! Furthermore, it is nothing short of miraculous to see what God has been doing in our lives...for our family..and dare I say even through our family.

I am one fortunate man, husband, and father! I Love you Katherine! Happy Birthday! I hope that today is your best birthday yet!

Pro Deo et Patria!

Will