I am your #1 fan

We were talking to a couple the other night, and I heard myself say this to the woman: "You need to be the president of your husband's fan club".

If you don't agree, you may want to stop reading now. This is going to a shameless plug for being crazy about our husbands.

I don't just love my husband. I LOVE my husband.

                                                                                                             As I write this, my husband is at Superstore. Let me tell you quickly how much Shawn hates Superstore - for my American friends, Superstore is like a mix of Wal-Mart and Target - it is bright, big and prices are written on small little cards so you need to read the labels carefully and pick out the right combination of things, or you don't get the special prices.

                                                                           One time, I talked Shawn into going to Superstore with me and the second he walked in, he held his head and said "I have a headache. Like, instant headache. I need to go back to the car". Then another time we went, and I am not kidding, one of the bulk bins cut his hand wide open. Blood on the floor...the whole deal. He made a quiet vow that he would never return to the bright and bloody store.

But, tonight he went to Superstore for me because I forgot to redeem a coupon we got in the paper for a $25.00 gift card. So, let me paint the scene:

He is at Superstore, in the bright lights and heading toward the customer service desk. Now, Shawn is a good Canadian guy. Doesn't like to kick up a fuss, he would rather take the $25.00 hit than go and talk to a middle aged woman at the help desk. This is, as he would say, "a total cringer". But he went. He got the money back. He got scolded by said middle aged help desk lady, but he did it - like a boss.

I could go on and on.

Perfect? No. But my hero? Yes.

Everyday of my life.

It is always a mistake to tear the men in our lives down.

It is the much talked about image of men right now: Stupid, lazy, can't figure out how to work anything in the house, even the dog is smarter than dad kind of stuff. What do we benefit from being cruel and disrespectful to the whole other half of the human race? Power? Control? Respect? Since when do these attributes bring out the best in ourselves or others?

I understand that women have been hurt, sometimes by men who made and broke promises. Maybe it was abuse, maybe betrayal,          could be disappointment or a myriad of other things.

Those experiences are very real, and life changing. I can't really say much more about it here, but my compassion is so strong for broken hearts and I would never want to say something that would cause more pain. However, I feel like I need to shout from the rooftops that "ALL MEN ARE NOT A DISAPPOINTMENT!"

Maybe it is fear of seeming like we are rubbing it in that would keep us from bragging about a good man, especially if that man is our husband, but I just need to tell you...

This man of mine saves the day one day at a time around here.

Did you know that Shawn told me once that he actually likes it when I am having my monthly emotional spike (AKA - PMS)? Isn't that crazy? He is glad to know what I actually think, not the guarded, edited, downplayed version of my controlled emotions. Amazing.

When he came to ask me out - I laid out my deepest fear - "Do I intimidate you?" maybe that sounds like a simple question to you but to me it was the most vulnerable I have ever felt in my life. His answer: "Nothing about you takes away anything from who I am"

Just like that, every lie I had ever heard in my head:
"you are too much, no man wants to take you on, you are too strong willed..." on and on it would go, tormenting me and keeping me bound up in fear and anxiety.

This good man's heart, in one moment swallowed years of heartache and loneliness. He took all of it on his strong shoulders and with every fibre in his being he stood there and said, "I am not like those other guys".

Now, just Shawn's presence calls young men to a life of strength and integrity. Boys who don't know who they are gravitate toward him to be mentored, because they see in him what they want to be.

I am so incredibly proud of this guy.

Single girls - make sure you pick a man you can be proud of.

Married girls - be grateful for, and proud of the man God gave you.

Work for it, vow to build and not destroy. LOVE him, RESPECT him, TALK to him, and let him talk to you.

Please don't send me hate mail if you are having a hard time or if you don't like men, but if you love your man - SHOUT IT OUT!