Dear Husband, I Forget To Say “Thank You.”

So often I let days go by without batting an eye at how this home, this life that we have built together would not be possible without you and all that you do for us. So often I let the to-do lists, the laundry, my pride, the clutter, and the chaos clog up my brain and my heart without taking a second to breathe and see just how truly beautiful this life we have is.

So, when I forget to tell you. Thank you.

Thank you for being the dad I knew you always would be. The master of fort-building and belly-laughs. A dad who doesn’t just build things with blocks and LEGOs, but uses every last one of them — creating the most elaborate towers and creatures imaginable. It’s OK that you put mine to shame. For your epic farm animal noises and super-sweet Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Hot Dog dance moves. A dad who teaches patience and problem-solving. A dad who isn’t afraid to show love and receive it.

I don’t thank you enough for being the father that you are.

So, when I forget to tell you. Thank you.

Thank you for believing in me even when I lose faith in myself. For pushing me to do all.the.things not because I need to, but because you see me as the most capable, strong woman in the world. For giving me strength when I feel I have nothing left to give. For listening to my dreams and then encouraging me to dream bigger.

Your faith in me is unwavering.

For knowing that the words “I’m fine” really mean I’m two seconds from a meltdown. For letting me rage clean in silence. For knowing what I look like when I ugly-cry and that a head cold for me means Kleenex shoved up my nose. You know all of my quirks and all of my secrets and yet you love me anyway.

You are my rock, my safe place, and my inspiration.

We have seen each other through the worst of times, when dreams broke apart and our hearts felt like they were breaking in two. We’ve laughed together until we couldn’t breathe. We’ve celebrated the birth of our baby boy and this beautiful life we have built together.

Yet far too often you get the worst of me. The sarcastic tone, the touched out, the frustrated, the overwhelmed, and the tired. But I need you to know that even on the hard days, even on the days when we drive each other crazy and I am “in a mood.” Even on the days when our fuses are short and the space between us seems greater than it should be.

I am with you.

Today and every day, I choose you and I will keep choosing you. Through it all.

Love looks different than it did three years ago, doesn’t it? Before, it was us against the world. Now us has turned into a party of two +1, or as I like to call us, the three musketeers.

We have climbed mountains and scaled waterfalls together. We have chased trains and traveled to different countries. We have drunk wine and talked for hours while dreaming about where this life would take us.

Now, adventures look more like trips to the zoo and the local park while stealing conversations in the car. Our days and dreams may look different now, but there is no one I would rather go through this life with than you.

So to the man I fell in love with all those years ago… you took a long time, but you were worth the wait.

And for all the times I forget to tell you. Thank you.

Thank you for being you. For loving (and driving me crazy) like only you can. For holding our world together. And for showing our little guy the unconditional love of a father.

This home, this life that we have created together. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

This story originally appeared on They Whine, So I Wine