Columnist grateful for loving wife
She takes very good care of me. Rolling out of bed last Friday morning, I donned my robe and looked out the window at three or four inches of freshly fallen snow covering my car, the driveway, my lovely wife’s car, the sidewalk, etc.
Groaning inwardly, all I could think of as I headed to the bathroom to shower and prepare for another day of work was how long and how much effort would it take to free the aforesaid objects of that layer of white.
I hoped it was light and fluffy so I could use my electric leaf blower to propel it into the air and away from our home.
After hurrying through my normal morning routine so I could tackle the chore, I went upstairs to dress.
“I ironed your shirt and pants and put them on your chair,” my wife said, indicating where I might find my clothes for the day.
She was sitting in front of the bedroom window, the blind uncharacteristically raised, which allowed more light into the room than normal as well as an unobstructed view overlooking the driveway.
“I thought it would take you longer and they would be done before you went out,” she said.
It was then I heard the familiar sound of shovels scraping the pavement outside. On the other side of the window, two young men busily scooped the snow from the car and driveway.
One of the young men in our neighborhood had stopped several weeks ago to ask my wife if she wanted him to shovel snow at our home. She declined but took his name and phone number promising to call if we needed his services in future.
“Did you call him or did he just show up,” I asked.
“He came on his own with his brother,” she said.
He and my wife had worked out the price and they began their work while I was pondering the best way to complete the task myself.
At first, I was a little out of sorts. I hate to pay people for something I can do myself. But I’m getting older and am not in very good condition (a fact to which my wife and my aching bones both attest). I took my time getting dressed, waiting for the pair to free my car.
But this tale isn’t about those young men or my physical capabilities.
As I said, my wife takes very good care of me.
Not only is she my best friend, she’s also a superior cook, baker, laundress, housekeeper and caregiver (my elderly mother is living with us now and my wife enjoys waiting on her). She is physically and inwardly beautiful, caring and supportive. Some of her other fine qualities include bookkeeper, gardener, organizer, negotiator, all wrapped up in a genuine people person. I have noted before, we are Jehovah’s Witnesses and participate in a door-to-door ministry. My wife loves it and instantly relates to people she meets as if she has known them for years.
To say I’m fortunate to have found someone like this willing to marry me is like saying I just stumbled over a one ton gold nugget in my backyard.
Granted, she isn’t perfect. I think she worries too much about what other people think and she has no understanding of anything technical, including computers, cell phones, video recorders, etc.
Those are minor flaws, if one could even consider them flaws.
And, while I am sure I have disappointed her on occasion, she has never let me down.
In all, she is accurately described in Proverbs chapter 31.
And, men, if you’re not familiar with that Bible book, take a look.
Maybe your spouse fits the pattern, too.
Have a good day.
James Pletcher Jr. is Herald-Standard business editor. He can be reached at 724-439-7571 or by e-mail at jpletcher@heraldstandard.com
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