Thankful for Jeanine and Jennifer

Today, July 3, I am thankful for Jeanine and Jennifer, my wife and daughter.

Many people have great minds, while other have great hearts. It is the rare occasion to find people who possess both. Jeanine and Jen are two of those rare people. When you are around them you at once feel they are both kind and strong, willing to give people the benefit of the doubt, while at the same time in-tolerant of bullies and jerks. To be with them is to be with the two best people I know.

Being with them also means that you will laugh. They are both naturally funny and fun. We have often said that no matter what is going on in our lives, we experience a lot of laughter as a family. Jeanine and Jen are the two biggest reasons for that laughter. They are each truly a God-send.

I often have people say very nice things to me about one or both of them, and often the compliments include how beautiful they are. It's always great to hear such nice things being said about your wife and daughter and I will always thank the person for their kind words and tell them that they're right. When the compliment involves their beauty, I always add, "And they're just as beautiful inside." I think that's part of what makes them so attractive to people. God knows life is hard and people can be amazingly cruel to each other. Jeanine and Jennifer are examples of what it means to experience the opposite of hardness and cruelty. They exemplify humanity at its best.

They love me so well. As my wife, Jeanine is more than happy to let me be myself and she has never tried to turn me into someone or something else. At the same time, she helps bring out in me those better attributes, encouraging me to keep growing and not allow others to dictate my personality or personhood. She soothes my troubled mind, makes our home a place of peace and joy, and is my safe harbor. She is a great wife and mother, a great daughter, sister and aunt, and a great friend. If you don't know her, you should.

Jennifer is everything and more any parent could hope for in their child. Good-hearted, strong, kind, capable, a dreamer of dreams and pursuer of them. She has always exhibited wisdom beyond her years. To be honest, I've found myself on occasion a bit jealous of Jen, as I've wished that at her age I would have been that wise and mature. As I've already said, she is one of the two best people I know and anyone who has the privilege of having her for a friend is very privileged indeed.

These two ladies are my two greatest blessings. They make the other blessings in my life that much better. I owe them both so much and am so thankful that I get to make the journey of life with them.

Jeanine and Jennifer, the two best people I know. And I am a better person because of them.