To My Wife On Her Birthday

Jamie –

I’m trying very hard to find a way to appropriately begin this letter to you. I could start by wishing you a happy birthday and talking about how this is YOUR day and how excited I am for us to grow another year older together. Granted, all of that is true, but that’s not where I think I want to go with this. You deserve to be recognized today – not just because it’s your birthday – but because of who you are to so many people, and because of who you are to me every day.

You have changed my life for the better, plain and simple. Through nine years of being together during the best times in our lives and the worst times in our lives both individually and collectively, you’ve made me a better person. I look at the world differently because of you. That sounds like a very profound and somewhat overly-dramatic statement, but it’s absolutely the truth. You believe that life and love don’t have to be so difficult, that we should “live life easy,” free from drama and unnecessary strife. This attitude translates through every relationship you have, and it has made such a huge impact on me.

You are the best wife in the world. The way you love me is a true representation of how a wife should love her husband. You are considerate, you know exactly how to brighten me up when I’ve had a bad day, and you encourage me to no end. You love me unconditionally and unapologetically. Most importantly, you laugh with me. You play with me and joke with me, and put up with my extremely cheesy jokes that are seriously cringe-worthy. That’s what love is.

I am so grateful that I get to go through life with you by my side. I am the luckiest man in the world to have the opportunity to watch you grow from the cute 16-year-old girl with braces to the incredibly beautiful 26-year-old woman you are now. I can’t wait to celebrate the rest of your birthdays with you, growing old with you, taking care of you, and showing you as much love as I can while we figure out this thing called life together.

Happy Birthday, Jamie. You are my rock, my best friend, and the love of my life. I am so proud to be your husband.

With all the love I’ve got,
-Eric