Smoke and thoughts

The smell of hickory smoke permeating my home brings deep emotions to my mind. The smoke makes me think about my husband. Always working. Always solving. Always thinking. What an amazing man he is. This man, the one I barely knew when we married just 4 months after meeting, fills my life with happiness. I sit back and watch in amazement most days. Day after day, year after year, he never stops learning, never stops doing, never stops caring. So much knowledge, so much compassion.

As I sit here, he is cooking tomorrow's dinner in the smoker. The smoker that he built with his own two hands and a 55 gallon metal drum. He will be busy all night over that dinner. Dinner that will be shared with friends. We aren't sure which friends, but friends nonetheless. Sometimes it is old friends, sometimes it is new friends, sometimes it might be strangers turned friends instantly.

He makes a last minute run to the store. I think about all those times he has put off sleep in order to help his family. Cough medicine well after bedtime. Urgent care all night. Breathing treatments every few hours. Crying babies when I just can't help them anymore.

My mind wanders to times I find him in a rocking chair, both he and a baby fast asleep. Love fills my heart. There is nothing more precious than a daddy and his children.

I think about his compassion for others. I think about his patience. I think about his wisdom. His words to me are so comforting. His understandings bring comfort to my restless mind. At times I wonder how I was so lucky to find him. Other times I realize he is exactly the person I need.