Day 42: Tuesday of Holy Week

Brrrrrrr.  Tonight was the first baseball game in the new TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, the new home of the College World Series.  I was fortunate to receive two free tickets from the sister of a friend and decided to take Aidan to see Creighton play Nebraska.  I have been to countless baseball games in my life, but this was undoubtedly the coldest game of them all.  It was 40 degrees at the first pitch and certainly did not get any warmer thereafter. But I enjoyed every minute of it. I am truly blessed to have a wonderful family with whom I enjoy spending so much of my time.

I know I have spoken a great deal these past six weeks about gratitude.  I have learned an appreciation for the little things in my life that I often take for granted: the availability of food and water, a job I love, great friends and family, two awesome kids. I am also tremendously grateful for my wonderful wife Brandi who has been a tremendous source of support for me throughout this Lent.

There are many things about Brandi for which I am grateful. She is a fantastic nurturer for our kids. She is a great "teammate" and companion in parenting, financial decisions, our dreams for the future and living our shared values. She is a dedicated advocate for children whose home lives are less than ideal and whose opportunities for success in life are few. She shares the "travel bug" with me. She is a woman who manages to remain positive and hopeful despite a recent string of family tragedies that would sap the energy from any other ordinary human being. The list could go on and on.  But one thing I have really come to appreciate about her this Lent is that she lets me be me.

I know my Lenten discipline has been a real trial for her.  I sense that it has been frustrating for her that we all have not been able to eat meals together thanks to my fasting.  I imagine she is probably so tired of hearing me talk about this Lenten Ramadan thing that she is about ready to scream.  I know for a fact that the time I spend blogging in the evening has often stifled conversations and gotten me to bed later than usual.  I recall more than one time when she encouraged me to reconsider the fasting because she didn't want me to feel left out of special occasions or family gatherings.

But she never complained about it.

And that is what I am most grateful for from Brandi in the here and now. She let me follow through with this hair-brained idea unimpeded. She never called me crazy or rolled her eyes or questioned my motives. She sensed that, for whatever reason, this was something I felt very strongly about and she let me be. Heck, I think she may have actually been happy that I found something to get so excited about in life. It has been a real gift to have that freedom and that support. Without it this Lent would not have been the tremendous experience that it has become.

I love her very much and she is my best friend and my greatest confidante. She is a blessing from God without whom I would feel lost and lonely in this world. I look forward to having her by my side for the rest of my life.

I love you Brandi.  Thank you for everything.