By Kaleigh Christensen 
You are exactly what I never knew I needed.
You see, I’m not the type of girl who used to lay in bed at night dreaming of my “perfect” future wedding, or mentally preparing a list of “must have qualities” in a future husband. When it came to finding the right guy, I thought I would just “know”. It would be from the way he treated me, from our connection, from his values and passions.
And I have to admit that deep down . . . I know that if I would’ve made that “must have” list, I would’ve never landed on you.
On paper we seem so different. You grew up in the country, I grew up in town. You like to call me a “city girl” but that just makes me laugh, because my “city” was very small. You grew up hunting, I golfed. You spent your afternoons and evenings fishing, “coon hunting” and playing in the trees. I spent mine having water fights in our neighborhood streets, playing with the kids at our parents’ card club on the weekends, and traveling for various club sports teams.
But, somehow life led me to you. And it wasn’t a coincidence. Somebody up above orchestrated that coincidence. Because you were exactly what I didn’t know I needed.
You’re my gentle.
When I peek through our son’s cracked door and watch you. Watch you wearing your camo hunting t-shirt, sweetly singing “Twinkle, Twinkle” over and over again to our toddler boy as he gently rests his head on your shoulder.
You are exactly what I never knew I needed.
When we go through the hard. The tough stuff. The stuff that seems to slowly pick away at some of the beauty in life. That kind of hard. You look me in the eyes and tell me over and over again that you wouldn’t have it any other way. You remind me that this life is perfect just the way it is.
You are exactly what I never knew I needed.
You’re my man.
When you lead our family in prayer. Over and over, and every night. When you pour your heart out to God in front of our son.
You are exactly what I never knew I needed.
You’re my fixer.
When something breaks in the house. I see the excitement in your eyes, the new challenge to accomplish. You grab your tool belt, and your run downstairs to grab our son’s tool belt and tools so he can help you.
You are exactly what I never knew I needed.
You’re my forever.
When you’re playing with our son upstairs, and I’m downstairs vacuuming. I hear you, dear husband, run to the stairway and yell down, “Hey, mama?! I don’t want you to ever forget that I love you and you’re my everything. Don’t forget, OK?!”
You are exactly what I never knew I needed.
You’re my encourager.
You make up words in a spur of the moment to make me laugh and give me love.
When I’m typing up a writing piece and I’m sharing my heart, you turn to me and say, “Hey, babe. Are you spotlighting again?! Do you know what spotlighting is babe? It’s a massive ray of light. That’s what you do. You shine, everywhere you go.”
You are exactly what I never knew I needed.
You see, husband, the made-up words you create on a whim to encourage me, your constant compliments, your random acts of love, your gentleness mixed in with ruggedness, your strength, your ability and love for fixing. They would have never made a “must have” list of qualities. Never. I never knew I needed all of these. But it’s those everyday moments that make my heart come alive and make me so grateful to have you by my side. I’m so glad that I don’t orchestrate my own life, that I don’t control all of the coincidences.
Because you are exactly what I never knew I needed.
Originally published on Messy Footprints
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