5,235 days. 125,640 hours. 14 years and 4 months to the day since Kristen and I embarked on this adventure of marriage together. So today, on this global tribute to love, I’d like to give honor to the woman I love; the one who inspires me to be a better man every day.
An open letter:
Happy Valentine’s Day my Kristen. It has always been you and I love you without end. You are such a blessing to me, our children and to so many people who call you friend. You are beautiful inside and out. You are the most selfless person I have ever known and your passion to meet the needs of others is matched by few. Each day I am reminded of the kindness of Jesus by the way you live and I am stirred to live in kind. You are incredibly brave and you carry God’s light everywhere you go. I love the way you passionately extend the inclusive heart of God to those around you. Thank you for choosing justice and compassion daily. You are a gift. You are my gift.
Thank you for the way you have loved me. Thank you for your consistent encouragement and belief in me; it has brought out the best. I am a better Christ-follower, husband and father because of your influence. Your commitment to excellence in every sense has helped to fashion the very character of Christ in me and I am forever grateful for your inspiration. Thank you for your grace and patience as I figured out how to lead our family. I have never felt criticized or humiliated, even in the mistakes I have made. Your constant love has motivated me to keep trying…and then trying again. You are constancy. You are my constancy.
You are an exceptional mother. Thank you for the way you poured yourself into the children that God has entrusted to us over the years. Thank you for enduring sleepless nights and for nurturing creativity. You celebrate the uniqueness of our children and allow them to express their God-given individuality. Thank you for your intentionality in every decision to create an environment where our children have thrived. Thank you for the devotion to seeing that what we value in our lives become the values of our children, and of those yet to come. You are a treasure today. You are a treasure to the generations.
I love us. I love our companionship. I love the life we are building. I love the joy and laughter that permeates the atmosphere in our home. I love the strength of our collective faith in Jesus and the way we have modeled it to our children. I love what our obedience to God has produced in our journey together. I love our generosity toward others and our commitment to build God’s local church today and for every day following. I love our resolution to hold firm to Christ during the darkest of storms and the dedication to reconstruct our new normal in the aftermath. You are my best friend.
Thank you for saying yes to us and to all God has called us to.
We are not just on an adventure together; together is the adventure.
I love you,
Justin
Justin Tarsiuk 