Due to the significance of today's date, I just barely made it through the day. The first half encompassed illness and fatigue, and the second half, a series of breakdowns as I thought about the unconditional love Eric provided me the twelve years we'd been together. This last year, I learned that the kind of love shared between us, is a rarity. To find it again is like searching a haystack for the one tiny needle. Almost impossible. So today, I think back, and truly appreciate the man that stood by me through good and bad..and at the end of the day, still told me that he loved me. What an amazing gift it had been and remains to be...
There were always certain things that Eric would do to show that he cared deeply about me. And for the most part, they were unique to "us", as a couple....
- Waving good-bye from his car window when leaving for work in the morning if we happened to be exiting the driveway at the same time.
- Following me around at Archivers and always picking up the tab...numerous times.
- Routinely repairing my PC and keeping it alive. Now, I own a Mac because I know nothing about PC's.
- Listening, even if what I was saying meant very little to him or wasn't resolvable via his expertise.
- Giving me space to partake in my passions, including scrapbooking. Supported me in it, as well.
- Complaining about the credit card bill, though never asking for a contribution. Lucky Gal.
- Bringing home flowers when I least expected it and trimming the stems before placing them in a vase.
- Leaving notes around the house as reminders of his love or of a future outing together.
- Patience, lots of it.
- Always reminding me to put on my seat belt and position two hands on the steering wheel.
- Doing dishes and laundry, daily. There's still a reminder sign on the wash machine to empty the dryer before starting a new load. Love him for that.
- Holding my hand in public.
- Accepting my quirks, including the irrational ones.
- Telling me my 2" inch hair-cut looked nice, even though he preferred long hair.
- Letting me take a shower, first, in the morning, even though it cost him "hot water".
- Building a house with me, and starting a family.
- Kissing my forehead after throwing me up against a wooden beam during the grooms dinner.
- Taking me camping and showing me that there is more to life than just the cities.
- Never walking away without kissing me good-bye. Always.
- Helping Bring Ethan into the world and loving him with all his heart.
- Fighting Brain Cancer: Three Craniotomies, five invasive chemo treatments, and the courageousness of a father who loved his wife and son, and would do anything to be there for them, no matter the cost.
Ethan is like his dad in so many ways, but the greatest similarity between the two of them is their knack for precision and perfection. So, when Ethan saw that most the grave sites were accompanied by turned over wreaths, lights, and ornament trees, he thought it his duty to upright everything! And that's exactly what he did while I spent time with Eric. One of the items he "saved", was this precious evergreen tree. He even opted to give it a hug. I'm sure Eric was more than happy to see Ethan's display of tenderness, as I certainly was - he's a great kid and honestly, I wouldn't know what to do without him! He's everything to me...
"We Love you Eric - Love, Patience, and Respect"
1973 - 2008
