ADVENTURES IN THE BALLPARK: 13 REASONS to LOVE the BIRTHDAY BOY

Today is my husband's birthday.

A few years ago, I wrote him a limerick; last year, he wanted another one. I told him limericks are intense, time-consuming, brain-racking work, and the laundry was really backed up this week. (Besides, I had another idea.)

He said OK.

I directed him to last year's limerick (CLICK HERE) , which he may or may not look at. He doesn't really like re-runs.

This year, I wanted to write something else.

A Baker's Dozen Reasons Why I Love the Birthday Boy.

1. He's OK with not getting a second birthday limerick.

2. He washes my car. Regularly. Shines the tires and everything. He claims it runs better when it's clean.

3. He's tender and kind with people over 80, particularly our parents and the residents at Brookdale Senior Living.

4. In the Trent/Smalley personality test, he's a Golden Retriever. Which means he's easy-going, dependable, loyal, and humorous. All wonderful traits. He's actually better than a Golden Retriever because he doesn't eat off the floor or poop in the yard.

5. He's a patriotic guy who loved serving in the Air Force for twenty years. During his active duty years, when he had a day off, my father always asked him who was protecting the country.

6. He wells up watching Extreme Makeover, or Undercover Boss, and even some Publix commercials. When the handicapped kid opens the door to their new home, or the veteran returns home for the holidays...oh my. We both start blinking. There's something beautiful about tears in a man's eyes.

7. He can make up stuff faster than anyone I know. When our daughter was about 10, she wanted to know why urine is always yellow. My husband replied that urine is waste, so the good things our body needs from the food we eat aren't yellow, but other colors. Like purple.
"So vitamins are purple?" our daughter wondered.
"Yep," he said.

8. He's an advocate kind of boss. As a manager, he's the first to offer words of encouragement to his peeps. He helps employees advance and succeed. This makes me very proud.

9. He can chop up any member of the gourd family that I bring home. Acorn squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, or pumpkin. He has wrists of steel.

10. He's generous. He's not stingy about money or stuff. In fact, he sometimes offers up resources we don't even have. How sweet is that.

11. He supports everything I ever want to do. From challenging the county school board, to writing a book, to making copious misshapen, fairly useless pottery bowls in art class.

12. He brings me chocolate, even when I tell him not to.

13. He still makes me laugh. He always has, but after 40 years of marriage, that is still a wonderful blessing.