I would have wanted to talk about the 52 reasons why I love Doug but for the sake of brevity and because I don't know how long I can stand before you without tiring myself out, I've decided to talk about the 26 reasons why I love Doug times 2. Here goes:
I love Doug because
1. He likes to joke about his bald head.
2. When there was no other recourse, he changed diapers when the kids were babies and did not complain.
3. He did not criticize me the first time I cooked sinigang for him although I was offended when he made a peanut butter sandwich instead.
4. Whether a manager or a parking ticket attendant, he gives them the same attention and respect.
5. He likes talking to strangers and making friends.
6. He loves adventure --- jumping from a rope over a lake, hiking, canoeing, camping. His greatest "misadventure" was when he jumped off the second storey of the YWAM building into a pile of gravel and sprain both ankles. Zorro was a popular movie at that time and so one of our sons said: Daddy you forgot to wear your cape.
7. He taught me that relationships are very important. He has never run away from a strained relationship. When someone hurts him, he forgives, treats them civily, prays for them and tries his best to restore the relationship
8. He taught all the kids to swim even if he failed miserably with me.
9. He loves making memories for us as a family. Thrice he drove across the US and Canada so that we could see most of the beautiful sights in the 2 countries, visit friends and enjoy God’s creation. On all three times, he was the only driver.
10. When the boys had jobs delivering newspapers, he helped pack them and dropped them off their routes.
11. When I miss my focus on Jesus, he turns my head towards him again.
12. He is a walking concordance. He loves God’s word and knows many parts of it by heart.
13. In all our 22 years of marriage, very seldom have I heard him worry about money. He has lived a life of faith since he became a Christian at 18 and has never seen the Lord forsake him
14. He is a man of faith. Especially when I see the YWAM base, I know that is a physical representation of the faith that drove him to build a training center.
15. He attracts miracles --- from getting a free trip for a team of 6 from Germany to Moscow, to free roundtrip tickets for our family going on furlough from a stranger, from large donations from anonymous givers for various projects, to getting a car and a van given to us at different times, I am constantly amazed at the God things that have happened in our lives.
16. He is generous. At the YWAM base when they had a special dinner for him, someone said, Doug gives like a rich person. I guess that sums it all up. He has been so blessed with God’s faithfulness all these years, he can’t let the blessings stop with him. His motto is: when its hard to give, we should give more.
17. He loves challenges. From a half marathon at age 50, Doug has done many fun runs, sprint triathlons, another half marathon this last January and is now gunning for 70.3 IronMan in Cam Sur. I have no logical explanation for this.
18. For bedtime, he loved making up funny stories for the kids when they were little. He liked to “Christianize” the fairy tales and made Cinderella’s stepmom and sisters repent and ask forgiveness from her.
19. He participated in as much school activities as he could including leading a cheering squad when Jonina was in nursery.
20. He likes physical work. At the YWAM Base, during work program when everyone would clean the grounds, he worked with his hands to make it always looking spic and span.
21. He is spirit led. Any leading is bathed in worship and prayer, confirmation from other team members before it is carried out.
22. He cries with me.
23. He makes me laugh.
24. He is the father of our 4 good looking kids and insist that they all take after me.
25. He is always trying to learn more Cebuano or more Tagalog.
26. Last Jan. 28, we celebrated 22 years of marriage. Doug has seen my warts and all, lived with my idiosyncrasies, saw surgery disfigure me, saw chemo change my hairstyle, saw cancer reduce me into a shadow of the woman he married many years ago. He has lived through my pains, doubts and fears. For this year, he got me a card that simply said: I’d choose you all over again. That why I love Doug.
****Side lights****
As soon as I started speaking, Doug started balling his eyes out. Everything was a blur, he told me later.
Those who congratulated me and told me that they were blessed by the message were mostly men! One even asked me for my list! And he's even single!
Husband: If it was my wife up there, it would be "59 (his age) reasons why I hate my husband."
Wife (smiling at him): Start repenting!
Friend (obviously a foreigner): Marla, what dish did you cook "sitting down" that made Doug make a peanut butter sandwhich?
Me (confused for a few seconds): Oh, I cooked "sinigang" which is a Filipino sour soup.
Its a good idea to really sit down and think about why we love our spouses. We get to realize that there are a lot more things we can appreciate about them than irritating stuff. Hahaha! In our small group for marriage, Jeff asked us to write down the 30 reasons, and I was able to write down more and then some. Just like Elizabeth Barrett Browning no?
ReplyDeleteThat's Kuya Doug.He is amazing.I say that because I was with you,working with you and I all can I say,You invested so much in my life.You taught me how to walk by faith.And everytime my faith is waving.I remember you Ate Marla and Kuya Doug the faith that you thought me.Thanks for being a great example to me.You are my heroes and my parents in faith.That's why for me it is soooo hard to accept the situation of Ate Marla.I am still struggling with God.Na why God allow this thing to happen.Na doon pa tao na very close to my heart.I know na we cannot understand everything.But,for sure he is still in control.Ate Marl,K.Doug and family love you very much.
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